Despite a competitive first half, Northwestern failed to keep pace with No. 16 Michigan State in the final 20 minutes, dropping an 89-75 decision for its eighth straight loss Sunday.
The Spartans dominated from beyond the arc, hitting 11 3-pointers compared to the Wildcats’ (7-13, 0-9 Big Ten) five and making seven triples in the second half. The visitors outscored NU by 14 points in the second half.
“We have to come out and make plays in the third quarter and tighten up our defense a little bit,” coach Joe McKeown said postgame.
The Spartans pressed from the opening tip, but the ’Cats handled the pressure early on.
NU built a five-point first-quarter lead through stout defense, allowing just 15 points in the first frame. It held the Spartans to 0-5 shooting from beyond the arc in the opening 10 minutes and outrebounded them 12-6, including picking up five offensive boards.
The visitors picked up their scoring in the second quarter, but the ’Cats kept pushing through, responding with buckets of their own and never trailing by more than a single possession. The Spartans tallied 25 points to NU’s 20 in the second frame as the teams were drawn 40-40 at the halfway mark.
Then, the tide shifted.
The Spartans outscored NU, 49-35, in the final two frames, knocking down seven three-pointers as the ’Cats fell into a hole too deep to bounce back from.
“We have been working on our team adjusting to adversity,” said graduate student forward Taylor Williams. “Situations happen. [We do not want] to have stretches where we have multiple mistakes in a row.”
As Michigan State’s shots started to fall, it also dominated on the defensive end. The Spartans — who average a conference-high 13.2 steals per contest — logged 14 steals against NU. Nine of those came in the second half.
Early in the fourth quarter, Spartans guard Nyla Hampton picked off a pass and cruised to an open layup to extend the NU deficit to 14 points.
“We are the team nobody wants to play right now,” McKeown said. “We just have to finish games.”
Williams led NU with 18 points and 12 rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting.
Senior forward Caileigh Walsh — who averages a team-high 11.4 points per game — trailed her with 12 points, primarily thriving in the post while occasionally extending her range.
Walsh drilled a contested corner three in the first minute after her team beat full-court pressure and then knocked down a layup to give the ’Cats an early five-point advantage.
Junior guard Caroline Lau — coming off a 13-point and seven-assist effort against Iowa — did not score a point Sunday but notched nine rebounds and four assists. Her rebounding and playmaking were crucial in the first half.
Sophomore guard Casey Harter also chipped in with 11 points, making all three long-distance attempts and senior guard Melannie Daley matched her output, mainly producing in the mid-range.
“I’ve been working on [the 3-pointer], just trying to do whatever we need,” Harter said.
NU will look to snap its losing streak when it travels to Champaign for a rematch with Illinois Thursday. The ’Cats fell by 25 points in their last tilt with the Fighting Illini on Jan. 23.
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