Women’s Basketball

INDIANAPOLIS — With less than a minute remaining in overtime and the game knotted at 69, freshman guard Amber Jamison caught a pass and calmly swished a mid-range shot to put Northwestern ahead. Then, with time running out and the Cats clinging to a 2-point lead, Jamison swatted Wisconsin guard Nicole Bauman’s layup attempt to seal the victory.

Jamison was one of three underclassmen forced into action with NU’s second-leading scorer, senior guard Maggie Lyon, unable to play with an injury on Wednesday. Jamison, sophomore guard Lydia Rohde and freshman guard Jordan Hankins combined for 22 points and made numerous key plays in NU’s 76-72 overtime victory over Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

“(Jamison) knocked down shots when she got the opportunity, she was a big helpside presence and made a big block at the end of the game,” junior guard Ashley Deary said. “She just came in and did what she needed to do.”

Without Lyon, the Wildcats were essentially left in uncharted waters. Lyon started each of NU’s 30 games this season, playing 36.5 minutes per contest and contributing 16.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

In her absence, all three fill-ins saw major upticks in playing time. Rohde made her second career start and was on the court for a career-high 36 minutes, while Jamison played a career-high 25 minutes off the bench and Hankins played 15, her highest total against a Big Ten opponent.

Rohde, who finished scoreless in nine of NU’s 18 regular season conference games, stepped up in a big way in Lyon’s starting spot with 8 points and an assist.

“She was ready to play,” coach Joe McKeown said. “I didn’t have to say a whole lot. Just (told her to) shoot the ball and be aggressive, and that’s what she’s good at. I thought she played with a lot of poise, and that’s what we need from her.”

After knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in regulation, one of which came when the Badgers had stretched their lead to 10 points, Rohde started off overtime by drawing a foul and hitting both free throws.

But Rohde wasn’t the only guard to step up and help fill the void left by Lyon.

Hankins also provided a major spark off the bench late in the first half. The freshman knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes before the break to keep the Cats close.

“We always have confidence in players coming off the bench,” junior guard Christen Inman said. “When they come in we expect them to be steady … be a part of the offense, part of the defense and really just understand what we’re trying to accomplish, and that’s what Jordan did today.”

But it was Jamison who made the biggest impact in the victory with her tenacity on the glass and clutch playmaking. She finished with 6 points and six rebounds, three of which came on the offensive end. When NU needed someone to step up late in the game and fill Lyon’s shoes, she did it.

“I just go out there and do what I can do with the time I have on the floor,” Jamison said. “I don’t really worry too much about minutes. I just go out there and play hard.”

With Lyon’s status unclear for NU’s second-round matchup with Minnesota on Thursday, all three players may need to step up once again.

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Twitter: @WillRagatz