Basketball

Northwestern bounced back from their first loss of the year with another dominating win over a mid-major opponent.

After a tough game against then-No. 16 DePaul on Saturday, the No. 15 Wildcats (11-1) returned to form against Missouri-Kansas City (4-7) in a 80-38 win Tuesday afternoon.

NU was in control for much of the game with the brief exception of a 2:45 scoring drought at the beginning of the contest. Following the drought, an 11-0 run put the Cats ahead for good.

Two buzzer beaters by sophomore guard Lydia Rohde and freshman guard Amber Jamison at the end of the first and second quarters, respectively, gave NU momentum and a 35-20 lead at halftime.

The game was blown open in the third quarter when the Cats reeled off 21 straight points over the course of about six minutes.

The massive turnover differential was key, as NU forced 24 compared to a season-low two turnovers committed. The Cats were able to convert those turnovers into 34 points on the offensive end.

Junior point guard Ashley Deary continued to increase her nation-leading average of 4.6 steals-per-game with five steals. Deary also led the team with nine assists and added 15 points.

McKewon spoke to the difficulty of guarding both Deary’s shooting as well as her skills off the dribble.

“When she can make open threes she’s devastating, when people back off of her she’ll step back (and make a 3-pointer),” McKeown said.

Missouri-Kansas City came into the day with a four game winning streak, including a win over Kansas on the road, but the Kangaroos were unable to overcome NU’s superior speed and size. The Cats appeared to come into this game with extra focus three days after their 13-point loss to DePaul.

Senior guard Maggie Lyon led the Cats in scoring with 17 points, including shooting 3-of-7 from three.

The Cats’ big four of Deary, Lyon, junior guard Christen Inman and junior forward Nia Coffey, who all entered the day averaging at least 15 points per game, all scored in double figures against the Kangaroos. However, Coffey picked up her third foul late in the first half which limited her just 21 minutes.

Freshman forward Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah demonstrated her value as a rebounder, grabbing eight rebounds in just 14 minutes of action — two games after she had a career-high 13 rebounds against Alcorn State.

However, NU was outrebounded 39-35 by a smaller Missouri-Kansas City team, demonstrating one of the consistent struggles of this team.

After a poor shooting game against DePaul, the Cats shot 45 percent from the field and was able to score 16 points off the fast break while preventing the Kangaroos from scoring any. The Cats forced Missouri-Kansas City to shoot just under 30 percent from the field, including shooting 1-of-11 from three.

NU will be looking to carry the momentum into the team’s next game, its Big Ten opener, on New Year’s Eve against Penn State.

Email: benjaminapelbaum2019@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @benjyapelbaum