Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Emerge Victorious Over Hilltoppers, 61-54
11/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2010
Box Score
Site: Bowling Green, Ky. (E.A. Diddle Arena)
Score: Northwestern 61, Western Kentucky 54
Records: NU (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten), Western Kentucky (0-2, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Next NU Event: Sunday, Nov. 21 vs. Chicago State • Welsh-Ryan Arena • 2 p.m.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Brittany Orban scored a team-high 20 points, and was a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line and Amy Jaeschke turned in 13 points in just 18 minutes as the Wildcats gritted out a 61-54 victory at Western Kentucky Thursday evening. Senior Beth Marshall added 11 points and a team-high four assists in the win.
"I'm really, really proud of our girls tonight," associate coach Ali Jaques said after the game. "Western Kentucky is one of those places with tremendous basketball tradition and we planned this trip because of it. It's a great atmosphere and tonight was a fun night. I thought our team was mentally tough tonight and fought through a lot. It was a hard-fought win but I'm proud of our team."
The contest took a hurried pace from the tip, with both teams feeding off the crowd's high energy, but a technical foul on Western Kentucky gave Northwestern the momentum it needed to open up a 15-5 lead. Jaeschke, who provided offensive stability in the early minutes, recorded nine of those first 15 points in just seven minutes of action.
With just over 13 minutes remaining, Northwestern threw a curveball, implementing a full-court press that induced three-straight Hilltopper miscues in less than a minute and yielded five Wildcat points, boosting NU's advantage to 20-5.
After a five-plus minute stretch during which each team scored only one bucket apiece, WKU found its rhythm. The Hilltoppers put together a 21-8 run over the final seven minutes of the frame to make it a one-point affair heading into the locker room. Northwestern played most of the first half without Jaeschke -- who was forced to the bench with two fouls -- and Marshall, whose eye was swollen shut after a Hilltopper elbow to the head.
Jaeschke led all scorers with nine points while Orban added seven and Marshall chipped in six. Both squad's team stats were relatively even at the end of 20 minutes.
Jaeschke converted down low on NU's first two trips down the court to open the second frame, placing the Wildcat offense back on track. But Western Kentucky carried its first-half offensive groove into the second stanza and mirrored the Wildcats' scoring endeavors. With 12 minutes left and Northwestern's lead at 37-36, Jaeschke, who led all scorers with 13 points and six boards in just 15 minutes, was again saddled with foul trouble when she picked up her fourth.
With Jaeschke on the bench, Kendall Hackney came in and scored her first bucket of the game. That, and a steal by Orban that resulted in a three-point play, gave NU a 42-38 lead with just over nine minutes remaining. Marshall extended the lead to six with a pair of free throws at the 8:14 on the clock.
Western Kentucky made it a one-possession game, 51-48, with five minutes remaining and kept knocking on the door. A layup by Orban gave Northwestern a 56-52 lead with two minutes left. Following a Wildcat turnover, Western Kentucky followed suit, also triggering a traveling violation.
The Hilltoppers pulled to within a bucket, but three-straight Wildcat points once again made it a five-point lead. WKU's Janea Howard's lay-in with 46 seconds left set the tally at 57-54, but Orban sealed the game with four consecutive free throws to maintain NU's perfect mark on the season (3-0).
Head coach Joe McKeown was unable to make the trip due to personal reasons.
The Wildcats are next in action at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, against Chicago State at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
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