NU’s Furious Rally Falls Short Against No. 5 Maryland

Sunday, February 14

Evanston, Ill.

3 p.m.

Northwestern

14-12, 3-11B1G

Maryland

23-3, 12-2B1G

Maryland

Northwestern

NU’s Furious Rally Falls Short Against No. 5 Maryland

2/14/2016 4:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. - On Senior Day, Northwestern staged a massive comeback from 21 points down that fell just short against fifth-ranked Maryland, 79-70.

The Wildcats trailed by 20 points after the first quarter and by as many as 21 in the third, but they cut the lead to five points in fourth quarter behind an explosive defensive effort. Maggie Lyon shined on Senior Day, finishing the day with 25 points, while Nia Coffey added 15 points and 11 rebounds for her 14th double-double of the season.

"What everybody saw today was how much fight this team has and how hard we play," said head coach Joe McKeown. "To come back against a team of that caliber and to play as hard as we did - I'm really proud of my team."

Maryland jumped out to an early 9-0 lead in the first three minutes to force McKeown to use a timeout. A Maggie Lyon three put the Wildcats on the board at 14-3 halfway into the first frame.

The Terrapins rode a hot 11-of-15 shooting start to a 25-5 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Wildcats raised their intensity to start the second. They held the Terrapins to a 4:22 scoreless streak and cut the lead to 14 after Lyon sank her second three.

"The effort you saw from Maggie Lyon tonight was what she has given every night for the last four years," said McKeown.

NU outscored Maryland 13-11 in the second quarter behind a stout defense that held the Terrapins to 3-of-11 shooting.

The Wildcats utilized a 9-0 surge in the middle of the third to bring the score to 46-31, forcing Maryland to call for a breather. Ashley Deary responded with a pair of steals as Northwestern continued to apply pressure on the Terrapins.

Chicago's Big Ten Team continued their third quarter charge as a Nia Coffey three and a Lyon and-one extended the run, 15-0, cutting the Maryland lead to just nine.

"Northwestern got a lot more aggressive," said Maryland coach Brenda Frese. "They started attacking the rim and the boards, and they punished us in transition."

The Terrapins and Wildcats traded buckets for the rest of the third, but Lyon drained her third three with a minute to go to close the gap to 10 heading into the fourth. Northwestern outscored Maryland 28-20 in the quarter.

The 'Cats answered every Maryland score with one of their own to start the fourth, including two big free throws from Lyon after a technical foul on Maryland.

Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah brought the Welsh-Ryan crowd to a roar after a layup cut the deficit to just five with 5:34 left, but Maryland hung on for the win.

The Wildcats return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 17, when they host Penn State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and will be streamed live on BTNPlus on BTN2Go.

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