Northwestern
Purdue
Second-Half Explosion Fuels 76-64 Win Over Purdue
1/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2011
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: Northwestern 76, Purdue 64
Records: NU (12-3, 1-1 Big Ten), Purdue (9-5, 0-2 conference)
Next NU Event: Jan. 6 -- vs. Penn State (Welsh-Ryan Arena), 7:30 p.m.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern used a 48 percent second-half shooting effort to erase what had been a one-point halftime deficit and coast past Purdue, 76-64, Sunday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Five 'Cats reached double figures in scoring led by Amy Jaeschke's 23-point, 10-rebound effort.
NU improves to 12-3 on the season with a 1-1 mark in conference action. Kendall Hackney added 18 points, including 14 in the second half, while Meshia Reed, Beth Marshall and Allison Mocchi all added 10 points each.
"I thought tonight, our second half especially, we played with a purpose," head coach Joe McKeown said. "I thought we were able to run under control without turning the ball over and defensively, I thought we did a good job."
Northwestern shot just 30 percent from the field in the first four-plus minutes, but found itself down by just four, 12-8. The Boilermakers, meanwhile, came out with offensive fervor, connecting on a trio of three pointers to pull ahead 15-8 at the 15:08 mark. The Wildcats used a total team effort to pull themselves back in the game, as Reed, Marshall and Jaeschke combined to score seven of the game's next nine points to pull to within a bucket, 17-15, at the 12-minute mark.
Six minutes later, Northwestern took its first lead--a 24-23 advantage--since the opening bucket on a jumper from Jaeschke. The two teams continued to score in step, resulting in a seven lead changes in the remaining six minutes. Purdue took a 37-35 lead into intermission, thanks to a half-court shot by Courtney Moses at the buzzer.
After a poor shooting effort to open the game, the 'Cats rebounded to shoot 38 percent. Jaeschke topped NU's scoring column with 11 points and five rebounds.
After scoring just four points in the first stanza, Hackney came out aggressively, scoring 10 of the Wildcats' first 17 points of the half to push NU ahead 52-48 with 11:53 on the clock. Less than a minute later, Mocchi capped off a 15-2 Northwestern run with back-to-back lay-ups to give NU its largest lead of the game, a 58-48 cushion with 10:17 remaining.
Northwestern refused to allow Purdue even inch back, maintaining a double-digit lead from the 9:36 mark on. The Wildcats continued to excel from the free-throw line down the stretch, converting on 5-of-6 in the final 2:36 to claim the win.
It is the second time since 1997 that Northwestern defeated the Boilermakers, as the Wildcats also claimed a 60-58 triumph last season at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Penn State visits Welsh-Ryan Arena for a 7:30 showdown with Northwestern on Thursday, Jan. 6. The game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
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