In its Big Ten opener, Northwestern fell to No. 23 Ohio State 79-70, dropping its third straight game of the season.
The Buckeyes (7-1 1-0 Big Ten) were led by sophomore guard Jaloni Cambridge with 22 points, while the Wildcats (6-3, 0-1 Big Ten) were led by senior forward Grace Sullivan and her career-high 37 points in yet another superstar-caliber performance.
The two teams entered the game with two incredibly different stories last game. The ’Cats came off a two-game losing streak after falling short despite an early lead against Kansas. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes came into Welsh-Ryan Arena on a four-game winning streak and put up a program-high 130 points against Niagara last game.
In the first quarter, both teams started slow with no scoring for almost two and a half minutes. It was Sullivan who got NU started with two patented mid-range jump shots. However, intense trapping and pressing got to the ’Cats with Ohio State sophomore guard Jaloni Cambridge the recipient of a couple fast-break layups.
Heading into the first media timeout with a little less than five minutes left in the first, NU held an 8-6 lead with all points coming from Sullivan.
Before graduate student guard Tate Lash nailed a mid-range jump shot to go up 14-10, Sullivan had the first 12 points for the ’Cats.
NU forced three turnovers in the last three minutes of the first en route to a 6-0 run which saw Ohio State go 0-5 on its last five field goals. When the teams headed to their benches, the ’Cats held a 16-10 lead.
After it looked like Ohio State was going to tie the game, sophomore guard Xamiya Walton drilled a side-step 3-pointer to take the ’Cats lead to five.
The Buckeyes wouldn’t go away though, as they tied the game at 25-25 with two and a half minutes to go in the first half. The ’Cats’ offense grinded to a halt finishing the half down on a near five minute scoring drought going one of their last nine shots and three turnovers.
Ohio State took the lead off the back of two back-to-back 3-pointers in a 15-2 run and ended the half up 33-25.
After two back-to-back 3-pointers to start the half, the ’Cats pulled within four of their conference opponents. The Buckeyes’ offensive momentum stayed rolling, hitting five consecutive field goals, and quickly bringing the lead up to 13. Halfway through the third quarter, NU trailed 49-35.
In a game that started with multiple clean press breaks for NU, the second half didn’t follow suit. A couple turnovers and a 10-second violation plagued a ’Cats team trying to claw back into the game.
Even though the Buckeyes went on a cold streak with zero points for over three minutes, the ’Cats couldn’t make up any substantial ground. Heading into the final quarter of play, Ohio State led 61-47.
While the NU offense made a valiant effort to make the game competitive, the Buckeye offense stayed rolling, leading 70-57 with a little over halfway to go in the final quarter of play.
The rest of the fourth was more of the same as Ohio State dominated the time of possession and the offensive glass, leading 78-63 with two minutes left.
Sullivan broke an almost three-minute scoreless drought with 48 seconds left, but it was too little too late as the Buckeyes steamrolled their way to a win.
Here are three takeaways from the ’Cats’ 79-70 defeat Sunday:
1. ’Cats struggle with an intense Buckeye press
After a strong first quarter, NU’s inability to get over halfcourt ultimately saw them fail to ever come close to catching the Buckeyes in the second half. For a ’Cats team that is averaging a subpar 15 turnovers a game, they had 13 by the end of the third quarter.
Over the last three seasons in which NU has finished 8-46 in Big Ten play, failure to take care of the ball has been a consistent theme. That trend reached a nadir against Sunday’s opponents last season, when the ’Cats committed a season-high 29 turnovers in a 92-62 loss to Ohio State.
For a team whose offense runs through its post players in Sullivan and sophomore forward Tayla Thomas, NU needs to be able to get into its offensive sets. In the third quarter alone, the Buckeyes forced six turnovers with most of them coming out of their full court press.
With senior guard Caorline Lau leading the country in assists per game, and two other playmaking guards in the starting lineup, NU needs to utilize their strengths to find a way forward.
2. Sullivan’s supremacy continues in shaky NU offense
It seems like it is mentioned every game, and it is, but Grace Sullivan is the real deal. The senior is top-10 in the country for scoring and continues to put on a show every game. Against Ohio State, Sullivan dropped a career-high 37 points, making up over half of NU’s total offensive output.
In the first quarter alone, Sullivan carried the ’Cats with 14 points on 70% from the field, scoring their first 12 points of the game. Her dominant offensive game has kept NU alive in many of its contests this year, and she has proven to be able to get her shot off no matter what team she plays against.
While it’s amazing to have a star like Sullivan, NU doesn’t have much of an offensive scheme without her. The ’Cats scored 25 points in the first half, with only seven coming from players not named Sullivan.
Sullivan finished the game with 37 points on 28 shot attempts with Walton and senior guard Casey Harter being the only other ’Cats player in double-figures. This trend is a dangerous one, as no matter how bad she’s needed, Sullivan cannot return next season to Evanston. As double teams continue to come her way and a season without No. 22 looms ahead, NU needs to think of new ways to involve other players.
3. NU loses steam in star treatment
At the beginning of the game, NU seemed ready to lock down Ohio State’s star guard Jaloni Cambridge. The former No. 1 high school point guard recruit has been averaging the 25th-most points per game in the country with three 20-point games this season.
However, the ’Cats held her to only six points, a turnover and two fouls that saw her go to the bench a little earlier than usual in the first quarter. Senior guard Caroline Lau talked through how the team prepared to shut off Kansas’ star guard in S’Mya Nichols last game, and NU seemed to have a similar strategy in this game.
In the second quarter, though, Cambridge showed why she was a consensus first-team All Big Ten selection as a freshman, tacking on six more points and two more rebounds, taking her total to twelve points in the same amount of minutes.
The first quarter of both the Kansas and Ohio State game showed so much promise for how the ’Cats can defend their opponent’s star players. Whether it was Harter or someone who got switched on, NU has the ability to force the player into contested low-quality looks and get them into foul trouble.
However, as the game continues, the ’Cats have had trouble maintaining opponents premier players. With such high-caliber guard play in conference, this is a pressing concern for NU and its defense that gives up the second most points to opponents in all of the Big Ten.
The ’Cats will now have a week off to right the ship before they face off against Utah on Sunday at 3 p.m.
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