Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Iowa
Iowa Shuts Down Northwestern, 60-40
2/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2005
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern hit just seven of 28 first-half shots and could not overcome its cold start in falling to Iowa Thursday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, 60-40. Freshman Sara Stutz (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) led NU with 10 points as the only Wildcat to reach double-figures.
Iowa reeled off the first 10 points of the game and never looked back, but it did not exactly run NU out of the gym, either.
Senior Suzanne Morrison (Franklin, Mich./Detroit Country Day) hit a layup at the 15:38 mark to give Northwestern its first points of the game.
The Hawkeyes (16-6, 5-6 Big Ten) would extend their lead to 17 points (28-11) with 2:49 remaning. The Wildcats went on a mini-run to end the half, with Morrison hitting a pair of free throws, junior Ifeoma Okonkwo (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak) hitting a layup and Stutz knocking down a jumper at the buzzer to cut the halftime advantage to 11 points, 28-17.
"We are getting the shots we want, we are just not putting the ball in the hole," NU head coach Beth Combs said. "We are getting layups, jump shots and our hi-low game is working, but we are not making the plays."
NU began the second half equally as cold as Iowa eventually built a 31-point lead with 6:43 remaining. At that point, sophomore Breanne Smilie (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Fenwick) knocked down a 3-ball for her first points of the season.
The Wildcats (5-19, 2-9 Big Ten) finished the game on a 15-4 run to make the final, 60-40. NU ended up shooting 31 percent from the field compared to 41 percent for Iowa.
Northwestern returns to action at 2 p.m. Sunday when it hosts Indiana at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
