With another lengthy losing streak on the horizon, Northwestern didn’t receive any favors from the schedule makers. The Wildcats (8-16, 2-11 Big Ten) were pinned up against their fifth ranked opponent of the year, No. 7 Michigan, at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday night.
Despite a strong first half that brought hopes of an upset, where the ’Cats led by six, NU failed to hold on for the final 20 minutes and fell 80-58 to the Wolverines (21-4, 12-2 Big Ten).
The ’Cats now sit in 16th place in the conference, one spot removed from Big Ten Tournament eligibility if the season ended today. With five games to go before the tournament starts in Indianapolis, coach Joe McKeown said he understands the stakes.
“For us to make a little run here over the next five games and play our way down to Indy, we have to be a lot tougher, and we have to take care of the ball,” McKeown said. “I think we’re so capable of that.”
Senior guard Caroline Lau led the way for the ’Cats with 16 points and six assists. Senior forward Grace Sullivan added 16 points, one block and one steal, while sophomore forward Tayla Thomas posted 13 points, including a career-high two 3-pointers.
Both squads ruled in the paint during the first quarter, with NU scoring 12 points at the basket while Michigan scored 14. As the ’Cats couldn’t keep up the interior production in the latter stages of the game, the Wolverines dominated in the lane, scoring at least 50% of their points in the paint in each quarter.
The visitors led for most of the first quarter, but graduate student guard Tate Lash drilled NU’s only 3-pointer of the first frame to keep it within striking distance. After 10 minutes of play, the ’Cats trailed 20-17.
NU sandwiched the bulk of the second quarter with two unanswered scoring runs. The ’Cats opened the period with a 6-0 scoring run, grabbing their third lead of the game. After a back-and-forth brawl took place in the middle of the quarter, Thomas and senior guard Caroline Lau combined for three 3-pointers to give NU a six-point lead going into halftime.
“This first half showed that we can compete with anybody we want to, it’s just about finishing out games,” Thomas said.
In the first half, the ’Cats shot 60.9% from the field and 5-for-6 from long range. Though they committed 12 first-half turnovers and were outrebounded 19-15, NU maintained the lead after holding the Wolverines to just 37.8% from the floor.
Despite the strong start, the ’Cats could only limit their top-10 opponent for so long. After nabbing a 42-35 lead, Michigan went on a 21-3 run to close the third quarter. The Wolverines’ fifth-ranked offense was revived, and they continued dominating for the rest of the game, outscoring NU 49-21 over the final 20 minutes.
“You could tell that out of halftime, they were scared for sure,” Sullivan said. “We were up 37-31, and I think they took that to heart and came out a lot more aggressive.”
In the second half, NU shot just 5-for-23 and committed eight turnovers, while the Wolverines posted 64.7% shooting and gave up only three turnovers. Of Michigan’s 49 points during the half, 34 came in the paint.
As the final buzzer sounded, the Wolverine-dominated crowd came to life. The ’Cats walked off the floor having lost their sixth game in a row.
NU looks to get back on track against Penn State on Sunday.
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