Northwestern
Purdue
'Cats Stumble At Purdue, 54-43
1/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2011
Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Mackey Arena)
Score: Purdue 54, Northwestern 43
Records: NU (14-5, 3-3 Big Ten), Purdue (12-6, 3-3 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011--vs. Michigan (Welsh-Ryan Arena), 7 p.m. (following the 5:30 men's game vs. SIUE)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Senior Amy Jaeschke scored 19 points but it was not enough as Northwestern fell to Purdue, 54-43, Sunday afternoon at Mackey Arena. Fellow classmate Beth Marshall joined Jaeschke in double figures with 10 points as the Wildcats fell to 14-5, 3-3 on the season.
"Purdue outplayed and outworked us today," head coach Joe McKeown said. "We gave up 19 offensive boards and that's something you can't do on the road. Purdue's defense made us work and we just had a hard time scoring."
Things started out dicey from the tip, as Northwestern didn't give itself a chance to score in the first three minutes, forfeiting its possession on the first four trips down the court. Meanwhile Purdue drained its first three attempts to hold a 6-0 early lead. The Wildcats had trouble finding their rhythm on the offensive end, not scoring a field goal until the 10:46 mark of the opening frame.
Despite the early offensive drought and the sloppy nature of the game, Northwestern found itself down just 15-9 with 8:25 remaining in the half. The two teams combined for 10 turnovers in the first 12 minutes and totaled 16 in the first half alone.
Purdue took a 26-15 advantage into the locker room. Jaeschke led Northwestern with seven points and five rebounds. Northwestern shot a season-low 20 percent on the frame.
Both teams found their offensive rhythms immediately coming out of halftime, and Northwestern continued to chip away at Purdue's lead, repeatedly slashing the lead to 10, but unable to cut it to single-digits until the 3:19 mark.
Down 49-41, the Wildcats were unable to convert on the offensive end and allowed the Boilermakers two second-chance opportunities in the final two possessions as they picked up their 12th win of the season.
Jaeschke's 19 points moves her into fourth on Northwestern's all-time scoring list with 1,705 points.
The Wildcats return to action at approx. 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20 when they battle Michigan. The game will follow directly after men's basketball's 5:30 contest against SIU-Edwardsville.
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