Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
DePaul
'Cats Topple No. 15 DePaul, 59-55
11/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2009
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- It was a hard-fought, fast-paced, defensive battle for a full 40 minutes but when the dust settled, Northwestern had outlasted No. 15 DePaul, 59-55, Tuesday evening at Welsh-Ryan Arena in front of a loud and energetic crowd. Veterans Beth Marshall (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) and Kristin Cartwright (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) performed as upperclassmen are expected to in big games, contributing 14 and 13 points, respectively. Marshall went 4-of-7 from deep, while Cartwright dished out a team-high five assists and came up with timely defensive plays.
It was the first win over a ranked team since January 23, 2005 when the Wildcats upset then-No. 22 Penn State. It is the first time Northwestern has started a season 4-0 since the 1995-96 campaign.
Despite the milestone in recent Northwestern basketball history, Head Coach Joe McKeown brought a pinch of reality back into the evening. "It was a great win for us, but we have to keep it in perspective," said McKeown. "It's still early in the season and there are no shortcuts in college basketball."
The first ten minutes forecasted what a defensive battle the rest of the game would be, as the two teams combined for just 27 total points. The entire first half would only see 17 made field goals.
After scratching and clawing for offensive production, with five minutes left in the half, Cartwright ran off five unanswered points--a triple from the corner and a jumper from the elbow--to give Northwestern it's first lead since the 14:22 mark. The Wildcats followed the fifth-year senior's lead and outscored DePaul 5-1 over the next three minutes to build a six-point advantage, 23-17, with 2:24 remaining in the half. Then with time winding down, Cartwright made good on two free throws and grabbed a key rebound on the other end to secure a 25-20 NU lead heading into the locker room. NU's active defense was something unfamiliar to the Blue Demons, who entered Tuesday's game averaging 84 points per outing.
Cartwright led all scorers with nine points on 3-of-5 from the field at intermission while Amy Jaeschke (Wilmette, Ill.,/New Trier) led the way on the glass with a game-high five boards. The score was tied five times and there were four lead changes in the opening frame itself.
The Wildcats came out of the locker room with an extra pep in their step and Marshall opened NU's scoring with a trey from the corner to give NU its largest lead of the night, a 28-20 advantage.
Freshman Dannielle Diamant (Las Vegas,Nev./Bishop Gorman) nailed a triple from the corner, extending NU's lead to 11 with 16:48 remaining in the game. But DePaul kept battling and an and-1 conversion by Felicia Chester pulled the visitors to within eight at the 14-minute mark.
A trey from Chester once again cut into NU's lead; this time shrinking the margin to four with 12:49 left. DePaul continued to assert itself on the offensive end, slashing the Wildcat advantage to three, 37-34, 11:47 left on the clock. Yet another deep connection from Anna Martin pulled the Blue Demons to within two, but sophomore Meshia Reed (Country Club Hills, Ill./Stockbridge (Ga.)), who gave NU a spark off the bench, made a three-point play the old-fashioned way and Marshall sunk a triple to once again lengthen the Wildcats' advantage to eight, 45-37, with 8:30 on the clock.
Northwestern extended its lead to double-figures before DePaul mounted its much-anticipated run.
"The run was inevitable," Jaeschke said later. "But we just held on."
The Blue Demons went on a 16-point swing over the next four minutes, using full-court pressure and newly-found offensive accuracy, to turn what was a 10-point NU lead into a six-point advantage for the Big East visitors. But Marshall spearheaded the Wildcats' comeback, nailing one of her four triples to pull NU back to within three, 55-52, with 2:08 on the clock.
In what proved to be one of the 'Cats final possessions of the game, Jaeschke grabbed an offensive board off a Marshall missed triple. The center kicked it back out to Cartwright for another long-ball attempt, which was off the mark, but a put-back by Reed narrowed DePaul's lead to just a point with 1:19 on the clock.
A miss on the following possession for the Blue Demons gave the ball back to the 'Cats and Cartwright and Marshall combined to go 4-of-4 from the charity stripe over the next minute to secure the victory.
Jaeschke led an outstanding effort on the glass for NU, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds, while recording four blocks and three steals in 36 minutes of action. As a team, the Wildcats out-rebounded DePaul 51-38. Northwestern also held the Blue Demons to under 30 percent shooting from the field.
The Wildcats are next in action on Friday, Nov. 27 when they battle College of Charleston in a 5:30 p.m. contest as the second game of the DoubleTree White Invitational. The game will be carried live on the Big Ten Network. Northwestern then battles Penn at approx. 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon; a game that is preceded by Iowa State's contest against the College of Charleston.
Season passes are still available for the 2009-10 women's basketball season. Ticket options start at only $35, a savings of over 60% the single-game ticket price. This season, a special "family plan" ticket option is available, where fans that purchase two adult season passes get three free youth passes. Courtside seats are also available for the 2009-10 season for only $99. To secure your seats for all remaining home games call 847.491.CATS.
