Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Upset No. 17 Ohio State
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
January 17, 1999
EVANSTON, Ill. - Junior forward Leslie Schock (Elgin, Ill./Elgin) recorded game-highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Northwestern to a 48-41 victory over No. 17-ranked Ohio State in front of a Welsh-Ryan Arena record crowd of 3,779. The win put an end to the Wildcats' four-game losing skid and also marked the first Big Ten loss of the season for the Buckeyes (12-4, 5-1). It was NU's first win over a ranked opponent since Feb. 2, 1997, when it knocked off then No. 10 Wisconsin 93-62 in Evanston.
The Northwestern defense held Ohio State to a .294 shooting percentage in the first half (10-of-34). OSU senior forward Marrita Porter led all scorers with 10 points in the first 20 minutes and the two teams were knotted at the break, 22-22.
The Buckeyes still had trouble shooting in the second half and Northwestern took advantage. The Wildcats (8-8, 2-4 Big Ten) opened up their largest margin of the game (nine points), when Schock hit a layup to push the score to 35-26 with 12:28 remaining. Northwestern held onto a six-point lead (43-37) with 3:12 remaining after sophomore center Tami Sears (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) powered in a layup. Ohio State narrowed the gap to two points (43-41) with 2:22 left, but the Wildcats canned five-of-six foul shots down the stretch to seal the win. For the game, Northwestern was 12-of-20 from the free-throw line, while Ohio State was 4-of-5.
Schock, playing on a sprained right ankle suffered in practice on Thursday, recorded her second double-double of the season. Her first was a 25-point, 11-rebound effort in Northwestern's Big Ten win over Indiana on Dec. 30.
Porter led Ohio State with 14 points and six rebounds. Sears and senior guard Megan Chawansky (Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake) each scored nine points for the Wildcats.
Northwestern set a new Welsh-Ryan Arena women's basketball attendance record as 3,779 fans turned out for the second annual "Pack the Place."
The 'Cats are next in action on Friday, Jan. 22 at Wisconsin for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
