Down 22 points entering the fourth quarter, Northwestern didn’t have much to build on Monday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Shooting a lackluster 25.6% on the court until that point, the Wildcats’ offense went cold for the majority of the game. 

But over the next six minutes, the team took over, generating pressure and making baskets to come within seven points of a stumbling Nebraska squad.

Unfortunately for NU (8-15, 1-11 Big Ten), its run fell short, allowing the Cornhuskers (14-9, 6-6 Big Ten) to maintain their lead and come away with a 78-66 victory.

Nebraska, who entered the week fresh off a close 71-67 win over Michigan State, began the game with a 20-3 run.

This was partially aided by the absence of Cats junior forward Paige Mott, who picked up two quick fouls in the first two possessions of the game. This forced coach Joe McKeown to bring in graduate student forward Courtney Shaw to replace Mott after only 36 seconds of play.

Since Jan. 19, Mott has averaged 15 points and nearly 6 rebounds per outing, leading the team in both categories.

“That as a tough way to start the game,” McKeown said. “But that also created opportunities for other players. You got to be ready, and that’s part of basketball.”

After a defensively uninspired first five minutes, NU turned up its intensity. Making a layup to stop a scoring drought, freshman guard Caroline Lau assisted on three consecutive baskets to cut into the 17-point deficit.

The Cornhuskers ended up shooting 6-of-8 on three pointers in the first quarter, prompting the Cats to switch up their strategy. 

“We just locked in more on defense,” graduate student guard Sydney Wood said. “We started going a lot more into our zone, and we were doing a really good job of talking and not over-helping.”

Anchored by the six-foot Shaw, NU went on to allow only seven points over the entire second quarter, a stark turnaround after allowing 30 in the first period.

During this 10 minute stretch, the Cats held down the paint and closed out on shooters, holding Nebraska to 2-of-14 from the field and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.

“We knew it was going to be a long game by how it started,” Shaw said. “We played against a couple of good post players, so I just contributed my defense and (brought) the energy.”

Despite holding it down on the defensive end of the floor, NU’s offense remained stagnant, generating only 10 points of its own. As a result, the score reflected a 12-point difference between the teams entering the half.

The third quarter resembled the first as the Cornhuskers held the Cats to only nine points. Down 16 with less than a minute remaining, NU allowed two straight three pointers to end the quarter.

Unable to find any source of momentum, the Cats switched to a full-court press in the fourth quarter.

“We needed to generate some offense,” McKeown said. “We were struggling half court and thought if we could maybe get a couple of quick turnovers –– maybe a layup, steal, hit a three –– just to get some open shots coming out of our defense.”

The scheme change yielded immediate results. Over the next six minutes, NU forced 10 turnovers, including turnovers on four straight defensive possessions.

This, along with several fastbreak opportunities, sparked a 14-1 run that cut Nebraska’s lead to 60-53 with four minutes remaining. The momentum, however, evaded the Cats’ grasp as the Cornhuskers took control of the game soon after.

The Cats ended up scoring 32 of their 66 total points in the fourth quarter alone. Despite being in foul trouble the whole game, Mott led the team in scoring with 13 points, extending her double figure scoring streak to six games.

Three NU players had three or more steals, including Shaw –– who finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four steals. Wood added 12 points, three steals and two blocks of her own.

With the loss, the Cats remain at the bottom of the Big Ten standings as they hope to rebound against No. 8 Maryland Thursday.

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