Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Illinois
Illinois Edges 'Cats
2/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2006
Illinois Box
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Despite 23 points from senior Ifeoma Okonkwo (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak), Illinois edged Northwestern, 60-59, on a 3-point play with 2.6 seconds remaining on Thursday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats also received double-digit efforts from Nadia Bibbs (Chicago, Ill./Hillcrest/Boston University) and A.J. Glasauer (Freiburg, Germany/Theodor-Heuss Gymnasium) on Senior Night.
"We played hard and we played with intensity, but it all came down to one play," said head coach Beth Combs. "We said to allow the two, not the three and don't foul. But they got the offensive board and we fouled."
Okonkwo went over the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season thanks to an 8-of-16 effort including 6-of-8 from the free throw line. She carried the Wildcats down the stretch, scoring 15 of the `Cats 33 points after the break.
Down eight early in the second half, Northwestern used a 16-3 outburst to take a 42-37 lead. After trading baskets with Illinois for the next three minutes, Bibbs' driving layup gave the `Cats their largest lead of the game, 53-44, with six minutes to play.
Bibbs scored 12 points and added 6 rebounds in a hard-fought match up with Illinois' leading scorer Janelle Hughes, who paced the Illini with 21 points off the bench.
Glasauer also had 12 points for NU. She contributed on both ends of the floor, pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out four assists and three steals.
Northwestern's tough defense early forced Illinois to miss their first seven shots from the field. Illinois managed as many as nine in the first half, but Northwestern used a 12-4 spurt over the last five minutes of the half to cut the lead to 27-26 at the break.
The `Cats go on the road for their final two games of the Big Ten regular season. They take on Penn State in University Park next Thursday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m. CST.
