With waning odds of a Big Ten Tournament appearance, Northwestern headed to East Lansing, looking to leave with hope and an upset over No. 18 Michigan State.

But the Wildcats (8-18, 2-13 Big Ten) had no answer for the nation’s 10th-best scoring offense and fell 104-68 to the Spartans (21-6, 10-6 Big Ten) at the Breslin Center Wednesday night. The 36-point margin of defeat was NU’s largest loss of the season and its first time allowing over 100 points.

After the ’Cats’ eighth consecutive loss, the team sits at 16th in the conference, one spot out of the Big Ten Tournament with three games to play.

Senior forward Grace Sullivan led NU with 23 points. Junior guard Casey Harter tacked on 14 points, and freshman guard Amparo López came off the bench and scored a career-high nine points.

López represented all but two of the ’Cats’ bench points, highlighting a season-long struggle to find scoring from their second unit. On the opposite side of the court, Michigan State’s bench scored 32 points. 

NU also conceded 50 points in the paint, emblematic of the ’Cats’ interior defensive struggles, as this was their third straight game allowing 40 or more points at the basket. 

The ’Cats were bested on both ends, primarily in the first half. During the first 20 minutes, NU shot 45.8% from the floor while Michigan State posted 56.8% shooting. The ’Cats turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, and the Spartans scored 19 points off those 10 opportunities.

Michigan State used its strong start to take a 27-point lead at halftime, and though NU found an offensive groove in the second half, the hosts didn’t slow down. The Spartans shot over 47% from the field in each quarter and went 13-for-26 from beyond the arc en route to their fifth game with at least 100 points this season.

Despite what the final score suggests, the ’Cats weren’t trailing big for the entirety of the game. NU kept the deficit to single digits during the first quarter despite committing six turnovers.

The ’Cats lost control of the close game early in the second quarter, and after less than five minutes of play, Michigan State led 39-20. During the quarter, NU was outscored 32-14 and outrebounded 12-3. In the first half, the ’Cats saw six players score between three and six points.

In the final 20 minutes, Sullivan returned to form as the ’Cats’ leading scorer. She tallied 18 of the team’s 40 points and helped lead a late 6-0 scoring run. Despite a stronger finish, the Spartans still outscored NU in each quarter.

Any remaining hope held by the ’Cats was shut down when sophomore forward Tayla Thomas picked up her fifth foul with over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

As the final buzzer sounded, the ’Cats walked off the court with much to be desired. Despite an efficient second half against a ranked opponent, NU will need to put together two complete halves to make the conference tournament. 

The ’Cats will look to break their losing streak at home against Illinois Sunday.

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