Nov. 21, 2010

Box Score

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: Northwestern 75, Chicago State 73
Records: NU (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten), Chicago State (0-3, 0-0 Great West)
Next NU Event: Friday, Nov. 26--at Saint Mary's (Moraga, Calif.), 5 p.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. - Senior Amy Jaeschke led Northwestern with a triple double--30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks--as the Wildcats came back to defeat Chicago State, 75-73, Sunday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Fellow classmate Beth Marshall turned in an exceptional performance with 22 points and six assists as NU improves to 4-0 on the season.

"This was a tale of two halves," head coach Joe McKeown said after the game. "I thought Chicago State played a great game today and came here ready to play. It seemed like they were making tough shots. I'm not proud of the hole we dug ourselves in, but I'm proud of the way we battled back."

Both teams threw up a flurry of points from the opening tip, each connecting on 75 percent of its looks in the initial three minutes. Northwestern used a pair of triples from Marshall to post six of its first 10 points, but the Cougars surged ahead, 17-10, at the 15:27 mark.

Chicago State used a 6-0 run to bounce ahead, 25-14 at the 12:09 point before a three-pointer from Kendall Hackney and a layup by Jaeschke pulled Northwestern to within six, 25-19. But the Cougars, aided by an effective 1-3-1 zone, used a 13-4 run over the next five minutes to build their largest advantage of the afternoon, a 15-point cushion, with just under six minutes remaining in the half. Chicago State was extremely active on the offensive boards, recording 15 in the first half.

Jaeschke, Marshall and Hackney provided the offensive production in the final 5:38, combining to outscore Chicago State 14-6 and pull the difference to nine at the break. Jaeschke led all scorers with 17 points, courtesy of a 7-of-8 effort from the field. She also added a team-high five rebounds and four swats. Marshall contributed 11 points, including a trio of triples.

Both teams recorded eight points in the first four minutes before Jaeschke racked up seven unanswered points to pull the Wildcats to within seven, 54-47, at the 13:42 mark. With momentum on their side, Northwestern rattled off four more unanswered points to make it a three-point affair, but senior Courtney Waldon ended the visitor's seven-minute scoring drought with a three to make it a two-possession game, 57-51, with 11:27 left.

Chicago State extended its lead to eight with 8:13 remaining, but a pair of free throws by Jaeschke and back-to-back buckets by Meshia Reed pulled the Wildcats to within one, 61-60, with 6:38 remaining. Marshall chimed in with four-straight points, capping off the 11-0 run, to give Northwestern its first lead since the 17:41 mark of the first half.

Northwestern never relinquished the upper hand, hitting 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds to preserve its fourth victory of the season. Jaeschke broke her previous single-game block mark with 10 rejections and recorded NU's first triple double since Amber DeWall in 1998.

The Wildcats return to the hardwood at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 26 when they take on Saint Mary's in the Saint Mary's Hilton Tournament in Moraga, Calif. Northwestern faces BYU the following day at 4 p.m.

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