Women’s Basketball

In just a short three-minute span, junior guard Christen Inman led Northwestern to 17 points. Nebraska, on the other hand, was held scoreless.

The Wildcats’ 17-0 run midway through the opening quarter set the tone for No. 14 NU (12-2, 1-1 Big Ten) in an 85-62 win over Nebraska (9-4, 0-2) on Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

“We just really want to focus on us, and the things we do well,” Inman said. “Coming out hot and coming out fast was one of the things we said we needed to do.”

The Cats shot an exceptional 7-of-9 from the field during those three minutes and went 3-of-4 from 3-point range. NU players hit layups and jumpers, both assisted and unassisted.

No one player took charge of the scoring during the run. Inman and senior guard Maggie Lyon each had 5 points in that time, and every Cats’ starter made at least one shot.

NU’s three 3-point shots all came from different players: Inman, Lyon and junior forward Nia Coffey.

“Our big four … came out ready to play, got off to a great start,” coach Joe McKeown said of Coffey, Inman, Lyon and junior guard Ashley Deary. “We’re hitting shots, but we’re taking great shots. That’s what I’m really more concerned with.”

NU did not simply outpace the Cornhuskers on the scoreboard. An undersized Cats team out-rebounded Nebraska 6-3 and forced a pair of turnovers during the run.

The visiting team struggled mightily shooting the ball during the three-minute span, going 0-of-7 from the floor. NU’s interior defense was so strong that the Cornhuskers attempted only one layup during the stretch, which was blocked by Coffey.

“We didn’t handle pressure very well,” Nebraska coach Connie Yori said. “I would say that’s the big thing, and they got a lot of transition baskets because of that.”

The two teams were fairly evenly matched outside of the stretch; the Cats outscored Nebraska by just 8 points over the remainder of the game. The deciding run came as part of NU’s 28-point first quarter, which ties for the second most points the Cats have scored in a quarter this season.

Coffey said defense remains the key for NU despite the early offensive explosion.

“We just really wanted to focus on our defensive pressure,” she said. “It really started with Ashley and Inman … We just wanted to match that.”

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Twitter: @ckpaxton