On the heels of a 40-point loss to Penn State, Northwestern looked for an elusive second conference victory against No. 20 Ohio State at home Friday.
For the second consecutive game, coach Joe McKeown was out due to illness, and associate head coach Tangela Smith led the charge in his absence. The Wildcats have lost by margins of 20 or more in each of the four games that McKeown has missed this season.
NU kept the Buckeyes within one point after ten minutes of play — despite trailing by eight points just two minutes into the quarter.
Ohio State began to pull away with the win as they held the hosts to a scoreless final three minutes in the first half, forcing 11 turnovers in the second quarter alone and placing the ‘Cats in a 14-point halftime hole.
By the end of the third quarter, the Buckeyes increased their lead to 21, all but slamming the door of NU’s early upset hopes shut.
Despite the loss, the Cats’ had a notably dominant performance on the glass, winning the rebound battle 36-to-27.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s loss to Ohio State.
Takeaways
1. Ohio State capitalizes on the ‘Cats’ continued turnover trouble
Following a staggering 30-turnover display against Penn State on Tuesday, NU showed few signs of improvement in the ball-handling department against the Buckeyes.
After 20 minutes of play, the ‘Cats had 14 turnovers, placing them nearly on pace to equal their showing against the Nittany Lions.
NU coughed up the ball 28 times in Friday’s showdown, marking the sixth time this season when the ‘Cats have surrendered possession more than 20 times.
Ohio State outscored NU 37-8 on turnovers. Combined with the Buckeyes 47.1% shooting from the field, this proved to be a recipe for disaster for the ‘Cats.
2. Promising first quarter keeps the ‘Cats in the game
In all but two of their 15 games this season, the ‘Cats have trailed after the first quarter — typically by a margin of 10 or more. After the first 10 minutes of Friday’s contest, NU was down by just one point.
The Buckeyes scored the game’s opening eight points, but after two 3-pointers from junior forward Caileigh Walsh, the ‘Cats were right back in it.
In a blistering two minute display on the court, the squad drained four shots beyond the arc, with buckets from sophomore guard Caroline Lau and graduate student guard Maggie Pina in addition to Walsh.
3. NU looks ahead to face Wisconsin next week
Following the loss to Ohio State, the ‘Cats are still searching for their first win of 2024, as they travel to Madison next week to face Wisconsin.
The Badgers (7-6, 0-3 Big Ten) have yet to win a conference matchup, falling to Iowa, Purdue and Nebraska. They will face Illinois at home on Sunday before taking on NU.
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