Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Illinois
Jaeschke, Wildcats Edge Out 80-79 Triumph Over Illinois
2/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2011
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: Northwestern 80, Illinois 79
Records: NU (15-8, 4-6 Big Ten), Illinois (7-16, 2-8 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Feb. 6, 2011 --at Ohio State (Value City Arena), 4 p.m. CT
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Each time two in-state rivals get together, a heated battle is sure to ensue and Thursday's game was no exception. In a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change hands 15 times, Northwestern senior Amy Jaeschke banked in a fallaway jumper with 1.4 seconds remaining to give NU a thrilling 80-79 victory over Illinois in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Having already taken down the Illini in overtime in Champaign earlier in the season, the Wildcats completed a season sweep of their downstate foes for the first time since 1996. The win also ensures Northwestern back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 1995-96 and 1996-97 campaigns.
"It was a great offensive game and probably a good game for television because it was exciting to watch," said head coach Joe McKeown. "I think defensively we really struggled and they made some really tough shots. We made some really tough shots too, including the one at the end. It was a hard-nosed, physical game. Give Illinois credit, they played a great game."
The last two minutes of action served as a microcosm for the entire game, as Northwestern battled for a four-point lead at 78-74 with 1:59 to play before Illinois scored the next five points to seize a one-point advantage with 27 seconds to play. Unable to find a good look on its ensuing possession, the Wildcats called timeout with 13 ticks on the clock, setting up a play to deliver the ball to Jaeschke in the post.
Jaeschke collected a dish from Meshia Reed and fired a tough shot while falling away that found its way off the backboard and in. Illinois' last-second attempt to find a game-winner of its own was denied when Reed intercepted a full-court pass.
"The play had kind of fallen a part and I just got the ball and turned and shot," Jaeschke said. "It was kind of a Hail Mary of sorts."
Jaeschke finished with 22 points and seven rebounds to lead the Wildcats while fellow senior Beth Marshall racked up 16 points and eight assists, one off her career high.
Having no luck scoring in the paint, Illinois looked to the outside, using a trio of triples in the first three minutes to sprint out to a 9-4 lead. In total, the two teams combined for seven triples in the first eight minutes of action, teaming up to go 7-of-9 from deep.
Illinois found itself with a 20-15 advantage after a three pointer from Lana Rukavina but a pair of buckets from Jaeschke and a triple from Allison Mocchi over the span of a minute quickly gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game, 22-21, at the 9:18 mark. Northwestern grew its advantage to four, 26-22, but once again the Illini used long-range sharp shooting to seize a 29-28 upper hand with 4:32 to play in the frame.
Northwestern outscored Illinois 11-10 the rest of the way, setting the halftime score at 39-38 in its favor. Every Wildcat who checked into the game found the scoring column--an occurrence that had been missing over the past four games--but Jaeschke led the offensive attack for NU with 11 points. Northwestern shot a sparkling 60 percent from the field and 80 percent (4-of-5) from deep.
The second frame opened with strong resemblance to the first in terms of scoring, as the Wildcats tallied eight points in the first two minutes to turn the game once again in their favor, 47-40. But the game's tempo turned up a notch on both ends and Illinois stormed back to take a 55-51 lead thanks to a 15-4 spurt over the next five minutes.
It was Northwestern's turn to make a run of its own, and it did just that, using four points from Dannielle Diamant to take a 59-55 edge midway through the frame.
The back-and-forth nature continued the rest of the way until Jaeschke sunk the game-winner.
The Wildcats are next in action at 4 p.m. Sunday when they travel to Ohio State for a battle with the Buckeyes. The game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
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