Despite a career night from sophomore guard Kat Righeimer, Northwestern was unable to secure the comeback win and fell 81-71 to Penn State during its 20th annual Pink Zone game for breast cancer awareness on Sunday.
The loss was a big hit to the Wildcats’ (8-17, 2-12 Big Ten) postseason hopes, as they currently sit 16th in the conference and are looking to improve their Big Ten Tournament chances. Meanwhile, the game was a key win for the Lady Lions (9-17, 2-13 Big Ten), who would have been all but eliminated from the tournament if NU had prevailed in the bout.
This was the seventh straight loss for the ’Cats, with their losing streak dating back to Jan. 18.
It was a breakout game for Righeimer, who nearly led NU back from a 20-point deficit. The sophomore was exceptionally efficient. Playing 23 minutes, she led the team in scoring with 18 points and shot 5-6 from the field. She had made six field goals during the entire season before Sunday.
Statistically, the first quarter was unconventional for the ’Cats, with senior guard Caroline Lau having no assists and senior forward Grace Sullivan having no points. Lau leads the country in assists per game with 8.7 assists, and Sullivan is NU’s top scorer, averaging 22.2 points per game.
Lau opened the scoring for the ’Cats with a triple over one minute into the first quarter. It was an aggressive scoring start for Lau, who shot 2-3 from beyond the arc in the first half.
Defensively, NU had a sloppy start and committed eight turnovers at the end of the first half, while Penn State dominated in the paint and beyond the arc.
A block from sophomore forward Tayla Thomas closed the quarter with the ’Cats trailing the Lady Lions 22-13.
In the second quarter, despite great looks, NU’s offense struggled to put the ball into the net. The team finished the first half with a mere 25% from the field. By contrast, Penn State finished the half 40.6% from the field.
The Lady Lions pulled away 31-13 as the ’Cats’ offense came to a lull with 6:04 left in the first half.
With 5:14 left in the half, Sullivan got her first basket. She finished a layup through contact and made her free throw to complete the 3-point play. It was a major relief for the ’Cats, who struggled to get on the board.
Even at the end of the half, NU couldn’t catch a break. Upon review, a tough spin move finish by freshman guard Amparo López at the buzzer did not count, as it was released just barely after time expired.
Both teams were held scoreless for the final three minutes of the first half, with the ’Cats trailing 36-22 at the end.
NU started the second half with two turnovers as Penn State extended its lead to 42-22 with 7:52 on the clock.
With 6:54 left in the third quarter, Righeimer knocked down a three for the ’Cats’ first field goal of the quarter. However, it barely put a dent in the Lady Lions’ dominant 42-26 lead.
The momentum finally tipped in NU’s favor with 4:06 on the clock as it found its footing with back-to-back made threes, cutting the Penn State lead to 37-49.
Righeimer knocked down her second 3-pointer of the game to bring the score to 56-47 with 57 seconds left in the quarter. Her stellar shooting kept the ’Cats in the game, and she scored 13 points in the third quarter alone.
NU kept the deficit in single-digits at the end of the quarter, bringing the score to 58-49.
In the fourth quarter, Lau opened the scoring by making a layup and hitting her third triple, bringing the game to 54-60.
Defense and trapping were foundational for the ’Cats as they forced multiple turnovers for the Lady Lions in the final quarter.
It began to appear as if the game was slipping away from NU as Penn State regained a 59-68 lead and Sullivan picked up her fourth foul with 5:10 to go.
However, sophomore guard Xamiya Walton hit a three-point shot to drop the Lady Lions’ lead down to 7 points with 4:31 left in the game, bringing the score to 69-62.
The ’Cats took a hit with 1:43 on the clock when Lau fouled out, ending the game with only 3 assists. However, NU recovered as sophomore forward Tayla Thomas knocked down two free throws with 1:18 to go, bringing the game to 68-72.
The game came down to a single-possession deficit as Sullivan made a tough layup as she was fouled. She secured the three-point play and brought the game to 71-74 with 43 seconds left. However, late fouls in bonus made it all but impossible for the ’Cats to come back and win the game, and NU fell 81-71 at the final buzzer.
The ’Cats look to finally break their losing streak when they play Michigan State on the road Wednesday evening.
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