Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Ohio State
No. 6 Ohio State Too Much for Wildcats
1/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2007
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Wildcats hung with No. 6 Ohio State early, but the Buckeyes proved to be too much, defeating Northwestern, 70-42, Sunday afternoon at Value City Arena. Julie Bielawski (Rogers, Ark./Rogers) led the 'Cats with 11 points while Sara Stutz (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) added 10.
"I'm disappointed with the outcome," head coach Beth Combs said. "We came out well in the beginning but fell back on our heels. I thought we might have a second-half run in us, but it never came. We did a good job finding the open players and open shots; we just couldn't convert."
Stutz opened the game by knocking down back-to-back 3 pointers on NU's first two possessions, giving the 'Cats early momentum. Northwestern rode that wave to an 8-0 run early, claiming an 11-6 advantage at the 16-minute mark.
The two teams made the most of every possession through the middle part of the half as Northwestern utilized nifty team passes to get on the board while the Buckeyes capitalized on individual efforts.
Ohio State went on a 16-4 run over the next 5:32 to close out the half with a 39-23 lead. Northwestern's defense forced seven Ohio State turnovers, while the 'Cats only committed five. Miller led NU with eight points at the break, while Stutz pulled down a Wildcat-high four boards in the first half.
The Buckeyes used a 12-point first-half performance from Star Allen to pull away, but in the second-half, two-time Big Ten Player of the Year and two-time All-American Jessica Davenport dumped in 12 of her game-high 22 points to lead OSU in the second half.
Northwestern battled early in the second stanza, hoping to slowly chip away at the 16-point half time deficit. A.J. Glasauer (Freiburg, Germany/Theodor-Heuss Gymnasium) hit the first two buckets of the half for the 'Cats, answering the Bucks' first two buckets. Bielawski nailed back-to-back jumpers on the next two possessions to cut the gap to 14 points, the closest NU would get for the rest of the game.
The Wildcats attempted a season-low two free throws, compared to Ohio State's 19.
Kristin Cartwright (Lake Forest, Ill,/Lake Forest) pulled down a team-high six rebounds, while Stutz grabbed four. Kaitlin McInerney (Oak Brook, Ill./Benet Academy) led NU with four assists.
The Wildcats are next in action at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18 when they host Purdue.
