Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
8-0
Gonzaga
6-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gonzaga | 23 | 20 | 43 |
| Northwestern | 32 | 30 | 62 |
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Unbeaten Northwestern Zips Past Gonzaga, 62-43
12/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In front of a raucous Field Trip Day crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Northwestern remained undefeated on the season with a 62-43 triumph over the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Wildcats, at 8-0, are off to their best start since the 1995-96 season when the squad opened with nine victories.
Northwestern got on the scoreboard first Monday afternoon when Ashley Deary, the NCAA's leader in steals picked Georgia Striton's pocket and took it the other way for an easy layup. The Wildcats continued to press on and by the time Maggie Lyon drained a three-pointer with 8:03 remaining in the first frame, the Wildcats had built up a 22-10 lead.
Chicago's Big Ten Team pressed its lead to 12 points two other times during the first half, with both big buckets coming from behind the arc. Alex Cohen's put Northwestern ahead 25-13 with 6:20 remaining, while Lauren Douglas hit one in transition from the right wing with 3:40 to play.
Gonzaga used a 5-0 run, with all give points coming from Keani Albanez, to get to within seven before Cohen hit a baseline jumper as the horn sounded off a feed from Deary to give the Wildcats a 32-23 at the half.
Deary compiled four assists and three steals in the first half, while Douglas led her team with eight points in 12 minutes of action off the bench. NU shot just 34.3 percent in the opening stanza, but it was aided by its six three-point baskets from four different 'Cats. The home team was also aided by a 16-4 edge in points off turnovers, of which Gonzaga had 15 in the opening 20 minutes.
The Bulldogs played the role of the aggressor in the opening moments of the second stanza to pull within six points. Northwestern responded to the pressure by unleashing a 16-2 run that was capped by Douglas' third three-pointer of the game, one that put the 'Cats ahead, 49-29, with just over 13 minutes left in the game.
Gonzaga answered NU's surge with an 8-0 run of its own before Deary made an acrobatic shot in the lane with 9:24 to go. Eventually Northwestern restored its large lead, edging the Bulldogs by as many as 23 points following Nia Coffey's short jumper that put the home team ahead, 60-37 with just under six minutes to play. NU continued to play stifling defense and the 'Zags never came closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
Coffey led all players with 16 points and seven rebounds Monday, while Douglas (14) and Cohen (10) were also in double figures in the scoring column for the Wildcats. Coffey was also one of three 'Cats with three steals, joining Deary and Douglas.
The Wildcats shot 45.5 percent from the field on Field Trip Day, while Gonzaga was held to just 31.5 percent. It was the sixth time this season that the opposition shot below 36 percent against NU, which came into the game ranked second in the country in field-goal percentage defense.
Northwestern continues a busy stretch of four games in six days when it visits Las Vegas to take on the UNLV Rebels on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at the Thomas & Mack Center. The four-match road trip continues over the weekend in Tempe, Ariz. Against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 20 and either Arizona State or Lehigh on Dec. 21.
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