Northwestern’s season has spiraled out of control.
After opening this year’s campaign with six consecutive wins, the Wildcats (6-5, 0-1 Big Ten) have now lost five straight contests after falling to Loyola Chicago 69-68 at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday.
“We’ve played a rough schedule,” coach Joe McKeown said. “If we use (this stretch) to our advantage, it’ll help us. We can’t use it and make excuses because players got hurt.”
They will now anxiously wait to see if they have lost their dominant top scorer, too. Senior forward Grace Sullivan, averaging 24.0 points per game entering the day, went down in the first quarter and did not return.
In Sullivan’s absence, NU was led by sophomore forward Tayla Thomas, who scored a career-high 30 points.
For the second straight game, NU was without junior guard Casey Harter, who has shot 35% from 3-point range while playing over 30 minutes per game. Sophomore guard Xamiya Walton made her second career start in her place against the Ramblers (4-7, 0-1 A-10).
The ’Cats lost the opening tip-off but scored the game’s first basket, one of Sullivan’s signature midrange jumpers. Loyola Chicago went on a 6-0 scoring run to take the lead, and though NU managed to tie the game in the middle of the quarter, the Ramblers held a 20-16 lead through 10 minutes of play.
With just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Sullivan fell hard on the court after contact from a defender and was assisted to the locker room. Though Sullivan returned to the bench in the second quarter, the ’Cats were without one of the Big Ten’s top scorers for the remainder of the contest.
NU opened the second quarter with its first 3-pointer of the game to push the deficit to just one, but Loyola Chicago knocked down three shots from downtown in the first four minutes of the quarter to extend its lead. The squads traded baskets down the stretch, and the Ramblers led 38-33 heading into halftime.
During the third quarter, the ’Cats worked to keep the deficit within five, but Loyola Chicago pulled away in the final minutes and took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter.
NU began to close the gap in the fourth quarter, nabbing some early points before it ventured on an 8-0 run to take a 61-60 lead with under five minutes to play. After a Rambler free throw, Thomas made a contested layup and drew an and-one to put the ’Cats up by three.
Loyola Chicago made back-to-back layups to retake the lead, and over the next minute, the lead was traded between the two squads. With under a minute remaining and the Ramblers leading 67-66, NU called a timeout. Out of the timeout, Thomas made a layup to put the ’Cats back ahead, and on the ensuing possession, Loyola Chicago retook the lead on a layup of its own.
With 21 seconds remaining, NU had possession and looked to take the lead and the win on what could be its final shot. Sophomore guard Claire Keswick attempted a 3-pointer as the seconds dwindled, but it bounced off the iron, and the game was over.
Here are three takeaways from Thursday’s loss to Loyola Chicago:
1. ’Cats unable to overcome early injury to Sullivan
After another promising start for NU’s veteran and top scorer, Sullivan left the contest with an apparent lower-body injury. She scored six points on perfect shooting during her nine minutes on the floor.
Sullivan has led the ’Cats in scoring in all but one of their games and averaged 24.0 points per game entering Thursday’s contest. She also leads the team in steals and has corralled the second-most rebounds on the roster.
“It’s always next man up,” graduate student guard Tate Lash said. “Injuries are really unfortunate, but they happen to all teams. Nobody is free or escapes it.”
When she returned to the court, Sullivan joined Harter on the bench. As the top two scorers, they have combined for 33.7 points per game this season, which is just under half of NU’s average.
If Sullivan is unable to suit up in the ’Cats’ final non-conference game this Sunday, NU will hope to have her on the floor when it continues Big Ten play in just over one week at Washington.
2. Thomas, Lau and Lash step up on offense
In Sullivan’s absence, sophomore forward Tayla Thomas, senior guard Caroline Lau and graduate student guard Tate Lash stepped up.
Thomas posted her first double-digit scoring outing in nearly a month, tallying 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Her previous career high in points was 16 earlier this season.
“Being more dominant in the paint, calling for the ball and making sure I finish on free throws,” Thomas said on the keys to her development.
She scored eight of the ’Cats’ first nine points during the third quarter, showing a dominant presence in the paint to keep the game within reach.
Lau stuffed the stat sheet, notching 12 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. This was her second straight game with double-digit points.
Lash notched 10 points, five assists, four steals and three blocks. She took over during the second quarter, scoring eight of her points in just eight minutes on the court.
If Sullivan and Harter are forced out for an extended period of time, these players will need to continue to step up for NU.
3. Ramblers take advantage of subpar interior defense
All of Loyola Chicago’s first 14 points came inside the paint. The ’Cats conceded 46 points at the dish during the contest.
The Ramblers also grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and tallied 10 second-chance points.
“They outhustled us and outworked us,” McKeown said.
Though NU was lacking two of its top defenders in Sullivan and Harter, these numbers are more of a trend than an anomaly. This marks the fifth straight game in which the ’Cats have allowed 40 points or more at the rim.
In the second quarter, the interior defense seemed somewhat improved from the first period, as just six of Loyola Chicago’s 18 points came in the paint. However, the perimeter defense allowed opportunities as a result, and the Ramblers knocked down three 3-pointers.
The third quarter brought similar woes to the first quarter, as Loyola Chicago scored 14 of its 18 points in the paint, which helped the visitors maintain their lead.
The ’Cats take on George Washington on Sunday, where they will look to end their losing streak.
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