Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Indiana
Indiana Defense Overcomes Wildcats, 53-42
1/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 13, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Northwestern junior Ifeoma Okonkwo recorded the Wildcats' first double-double of the season and senior Sarah Kwasinski reached double-figures on her 22nd birthday, but it was the suffocating defense of Indiana that led the Hoosiers past Northwestern, 53-42.
Okonkwo finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for her third-career double-double. It was NU's first since Okonkwo reached 14 points and 11 rebounds on Jan. 29, 2004, against Iowa.
In the first half, Indiana jumped out to an eight-point lead at 16-8 with 9:24 to play in the period. The Wildcats then went on a 12-2 run comprised of four points each from Okonkwo, Kwasinski and freshman Melissa Miller (Bloomington, Minn./The Breck School) to take a 20-18 lead with 3:54 to go in the half.
Indiana hit a 3-point shot to briefly take the lead back, but then Okonkwo and sophomore A.J. Glasauer (Freiburg, Germany/Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium) both hit shots in the paint to send Northwestern (4-14, 1-4 Big Ten) ito the locker room with a 24-21 lead.
The second half was dominated by IU's defense. The Hoosiers did not allow a Wildcat point until 6:19 had ticked off the clock and senior Melissa Culver (Littleton, Colo./Heritage) nailed a 3-ball to pull NU to back within three points at 30-27.
Indiana (8-6, 1-3 Big Ten) would open up a 10-point advantage with under six minutes to go, but a jumper and a free-throw from Kwasinski and a bucket from Okonkwo cut that lead in half with 3:54 to play. That would be the closest NU would get the rest of the way.
Kwasinski finished with 11 points for Northwestern.
The two teams traded shooting woes in the game, with Northwestern shooting 52 percent in the first half against Indiana's 30 percent. IU came out of the locker room with the hot hand to hit 50 percent of their shots after the break while the Wildcats could must only 20 percent from the field.
Northwestern returns to action at 2 p.m. Sunday at Iowa.
