Northwestern University Athletics
Spartans Down Wildcats, 65-40
2/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich.--Michigan State used a 40-point first half to propel itself to a 65-40 victory Thursday evening at the Breslin Center. Freshman Meshia Reed (Country Club Hills, Ill./Stockbridge, (Ga.)) led Northwestern with 12 points, the seventh time this season she has topped NU's scoring column. Fellow classmate Shantina Boyd (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) led the Wildcats on the glass with a career-high eight rebounds.
The 'Cats hung tough in the early going despite a 75 percent shooting effort by Michigan State through the first five minutes. The Spartans pulled ahead by five with 15:12 remaining, but back-to-back buckets from Boyd pulled Northwestern to within 12-11 with just under 14 minutes remaining.
But the Wildcats' offense fell silent, mustering only seven points the rest of the half. Michigan State received a boost from Alisa Wulff, who registered two of MSU's three treys in the final five minutes of the stanza.
The Spartans looked comfortable at home, knocking down 57 percent of their first-half shots, including 60 percent from long range. Ellen Jaeschke (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove/Air Force) and Boyd led NU at the hiatus with four points each.
Offense was hard to come by in the second half, as both teams combined to only score eight points through the first seven minutes.
Northwestern matched MSU's point production for most of the second half, but the first-half deficit was too much to overcome and the Spartans went on to claim their fourth-consecutive victory and 17th overall.
Boyd and Reed led the bench production for NU, something that proved to be crucial. In addition to Reed's team-leading 12 points, Boyd turned in a solid game, recording a career-high eight rebounds and chipping in seven points.
The Wildcats are next in action on Sunday, Feb. 24 when they host Penn State in the final home game of the season. Northwestern will also be honoring seniors Nadia Bibbs, Melissa Miller and Sara Stutz in their final home game.
