It was ugly from start to finish.
Northwestern was simply no match for No. 3 UCLA, which pummeled the Wildcats (8-12, 2-7 Big Ten) 80-46 in a game NU never led.
“I was excited about this game,” coach Joe McKeown said. “I thought we could be able to play in the half-court with them. We didn’t. I thought we could defend better, and we didn’t.”
The Bruins (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten) entered Sunday’s game undefeated in conference play and riding a 12-game winning streak. If possible, UCLA had turned up the heat even more entering Welsh-Ryan Arena with three ranked wins and an average margin of victory of 31 points in their last six games.
UCLA’s fierce paint defense stifled NU as senior forward Grace Sullivan was forced out of her comfort zone, causing the ’Cats to finish with only 12 paint points.
Sullivan ended up scoring 21 points, but the Bruins’ size and defensive scheme completely disrupted the NU offensive flow as the ’Cats finished shooting 35.4% from the field.
“Every time down the floor, they’re looking to stop Grace, so people have to step up,” McKeown said. “We’ve got to find better ways to get her the ball. Her teammates have to help her a little bit. “
Sullivan was the lone NU player in double-digits, while UCLA saw four players achieve the mark. The ’Cats only saw two points from non-starters, which came in the closing seconds.
As the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer, Sullivan typically commands many paint catches a game, where she scores the majority of her over 22 points per game. However, UCLA’s defense forced the six-foot-four senior out of the paint and into many difficult midrange jump shots.
In the second quarter, the ’Cats only scored eight points, with six of them coming from Sullivan before her third foul saw her go to the bench. Many dedicated NU fans could’ve predicted the over three-minute scoreless streak for ’Cats and the 11-0 Bruins run, though, as NU’s offense has relied solely on Sullivan all season.
After turning the ball over only five times versus Illinois last game, the ’Cats quadrupled that with 20 total turnovers, many coming off post entries to Sullivan. UCLA capitalized on NU’s errors, scoring 31 points off turnovers.
“You can tell they’re a great team,” Sullivan said. “We can make this a learning experience by just seeing again what it takes to be at their level.”
For a team that primarily plays through its post players, the ’Cats were dominated on the glass all game long, losing the rebounding battle by 19 and allowing 17 offensive boards to the Bruins.
If one stat could describe the game, it is this one. UCLA’s 48 points in the paint outscored NU’s total of 46 points in the entire game.
The ’Cats will look to put this game in the rearview mirror as they face No. 24 Nebraska on the road Wednesday night.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Women’s Basketball: Northwestern’s two-game winning streak ends in tight loss at No. 25 Illinois
—Women’s Basketball: Northwestern ends losing streak, defeats Rutgers 73-54
