Northwestern
BYU
'Cats Claw Out 65-64 Triumph Over BYU
11/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2010
Site: Moraga, Calif. (McKeon Pavilion)
Score: Northwestern 65, BYU 64
Records: NU (6-0, 0-0 Big Ten), BYU (3-3, 0-0 Mountain West)
Next NU Event: Dec. 1--at Georgia Tech (Atlanta, Ga.), 6 p.m CT
MORAGA, Calif. -- A pair of free throws by sophomore Kendall Hackney with 21 seconds left gave Northwestern a one-point advantage and the Wildcat defense held BYU on its next possession to preserve a 65-64 victory Saturday night in the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic in Moraga, Calif. The Wildcats improve to 6-0 on the year, their best start since 1995-96. Seniors Beth Marshall and Amy Jaeschke paced NU with 16 points while Hackney added 12.
"I feel like we beat a really great team tonight," head coach Joe McKeownsaid after the dust settled. "This was a great game.
With a minute remaining, junior Allison Mocchi drained a triple from the top of the key to give Northwestern a two-point lead, but as they had all game, the Cougars answered. A three from another area code by Jazmine Foreman swung the advantage back to the visitors. Hackney was fouled on the ensuing possession and calmly swished both attempts with 21 ticks left to give NU the one-point edge. Northwestern refused to give BYU an open look at the bucket, forcing Foreman to launch another long distance attempt but this time it came up short and ensured the 'Cats' a still-perfect record.
Northwestern took an early 14-7 lead, courtesy of a 62 percent shooting clip, including a pair of threes from Tailor Jones and Jaeschke. The Cougars, who attempted 130 three's in just five games, used the familiar stroke to spur an 8-4 run and make it a one-possession game, 20-18, at the 8:14 mark of the first half.
BYU held NU without a field goal for nearly four minutes while chipping away at the 'Cats' lead to take a 23-22 advantage with just over five minutes on the clock. But a deep Marshall triple from the elbow extended once again gave Northwestern the upper hand.
A three by the Cougars' Coriann Fraughton deadlocked the score at 25, but Northwestern ended the half on a 7-2 run to take a 32-27 lead into the break. Marshall led all scorers with 10 points while Jaeschke contributed eight points and six boards. The Wildcats held BYU to just a 29 percent effort from the field.
The two teams picked off right where they left off in the second half, battling hard on each possession and falling into a half-court game. Scoring was nearly identical the opening four minutes, with the Wildcats maintaining a 39-35 lead. Northwestern reached the bonus at the 13:24 mark, forcing BYU to be more tentative defensively, but offensively, the Cougars continued to play their three-point game and pulled the tally to 46-44 with 9:42 remaining.
BYU claimed the lead at the eight-minute mark after composing a 6-0 run. A layup by Jaeschke off a Marshall miss once again deadlocked the score. Northwestern orchestrated a 4-0 push, but the Cougars once again answered in identical terms to take a one-point, 57-56 lead at the four-minute mark. The scoring see-sawed until the waning seconds when the Wildcats halted BYU's final attempt as the horn sounded.
Jaeschke recorded the fourth double-double of season with 16 points and 11 boards despite battling down low in an extremely physical contest. Due to the double-teaming conditions, the senior dished out a season-high five assists.
Jaeschke was named the Tournament's MVP while Marshall was also named to the event's All-Tourney team.
Northwestern returns to the floor on Wednesday, Dec. 1 when it travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!
••••••
