Northwestern
Penn State
Wildcats Endure 80-68 Setback Against Lady Lions
1/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2011
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Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: Penn State 80, Northwestern 68
Records: NU (12-4, 1-2 Big Ten), Penn State (13-4, 2-1 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Sunday, Jan. 9 --at Illinois, 2 p.m.
EVANSTON, Ill.-- Northwestern battled hard, but couldn't quite get over the hump at the start of a tight second half and fell victim to an off shooting night as Penn State defeated the 'Cats, 80-68, Thursday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Junior Brittany Orban matched a season high with 20 points in the loss.
"I'm just disappointed in the way we finished the last seven or eight minutes of the game," head coach Joe McKeown said. "It was a really good game and then all of a sudden we just broke down. They made plays and made shots that forced us to play a little faster than we normally want to play. So I give them a lot of credit."
After the Lady Lions jumped out in front early, 8-4, Northwestern stormed back to take a 9-8 lead on a pair of free throws from Kendall Hackney at the 15:35 mark. Penn State shot above 60 percent from the field through the first 12 minutes, including a perfect 3-of-3 from deep, to pull ahead, 20-10, three minutes later.
A triple from Orban -- one of three on the night for the junior forward -- sparked a 9-2 Wildcat run to pull within two, 22-20, with 7:47 left in the frame. Even though the Lady Lions grew their lead to as many as nine with 1:34 left in the half, Northwestern responded by scoring six of the game's next eight points to pull to within five, 37-35, entering intermission.
Orban led Northwestern with 13 points while Amy Jaeschke hauled down seven rebounds. Penn State limited the senior to just four field goal attempts in the first 20 minutes and held the 'Cats to just a 32 percent shooting clip. The Lady Lions' Maggie Lucas provided a much-needed offensive boost, scoring 11 points off the bench, including three triples.
The Wildcats opened the half with a 6-2 run to pull to within 39-38 with 16:53 remaining. But Penn State responded with five quick points to regain control. Six minutes later, Northwestern once again began to inch back, cutting the lead to four with 8:41 left, but this time, Penn State increased its lead to double-digits and remained unforgiving.
NU shot just 34 percent from the field and surrendered the ball 22 times.
Northwestern returns to the hardwood at 2 p.m. Sunday when it travels to Champaign for a showdown with in-state rival Illinois.
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