Wildcats Drop Barnburner to Rutgers, 61-59

2/10/2016 8:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Mallory Majcher

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - In a game that came down to the final seconds, Nia Coffey and Maggie Lyon combined for 38 points as Northwestern (14-11, 3-10 B1G) fell to Rutgers (15-10, 6-7 B1G) at the RAC on Wednesday night.

Junior Christen Inman joined the duo in double figures with 11 points, while Ashley Deary poured in seven and Amber Jamison contributed three points.

Rutgers jumped out to an early 8-2 lead before the Wildcats were able to string together consecutive baskets. A Coffey jumper leveled the score at the eight mark and NU took the lead with a Lyon triple, 11-9.

Coffey and Inman teamed up for a pair of buckets to extend NU's lead, 15-10, in the opening minutes of the second frame. The Wildcats went up by as much as six points, but the Scarlet Knights came out of the second period media timeout on a tear. RU used an 11-0 run to regain control of the game and force Northwestern to call for a late breather.

With just over a minute left in the half, Inman drew a foul and drained a pair of free throws before Lyon used a mid-range jumper to cut the 'Cats deficit to just three before the break.

Deary opened the second half for Northwestern with a 5-0 surge of her own, but Rutgers responded with seven-unanswered points to take over. Coffey converted a 3-point play to close the gap to four before an Inman jumper capped the third frame to tie the game heading into the final 10 minutes.

Northwestern built a five-point advantage with four minutes left to play, but Rutgers answered with back-to-back buckets to even the game once again. The teams exchanged blows down the stretch, but the Scarlet Knights came out on top with a shot in the final seconds.

For the game, Northwestern shot 37 percent (24-65) from the field, 41 percent (7-17) from 3-point range and 57 percent (4-7) from the free-throw line. Rutgers connected on 39 percent (24-61) of its shots, including 39 percent (5-13) from beyond the arc and 100 percent (8-8) from the charity stripe. The Scarlet Knights won the rebounding battle, 41-38.

The Wildcats return to action on Sunday, Feb. 14, when they host No. 5 Maryland. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CST and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

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