Northwestern
6-7,0-3Big Ten
Michigan State
10-5,2-2Big Ten
Late Comeback Not Enough as Northwestern Falls to Michigan State
1/2/2023 9:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Northwestern women's basketball team outscored the Michigan State Spartans 32-28 in the second half, but fell by a final score of 71-64 at home Monday.
The Wildcats (6-7, 0-3) had two players score in double figures, led by Sydney Wood, who had 12 points, nine rebounds, five steals and four blocks. Jasmine McWilliams added a career-high 10 points while Caileigh Walsh tacked on eight points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
Led by Paige Mott's three offensive rebounds, Northwestern did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 12 boards that resulted in 13 second chance points.
Northwestern also did a great job disrupting Michigan State shots in the contest, coming away with nine blocks. Wood's four rejections led the way individually for the Wildcats.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 15-10 advantage, Northwestern went on a 5-0 run with 2:19 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Caroline Lau, to increase its lead to 20-10. The Wildcats then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 20-15 advantage. Northwestern did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 14 of its 20 points close to the basket.
The Wildcats could not maintain their lead in the second quarter, however, and entered halftime trailing 43-32.
Michigan State continued to increase their lead after halftime, building a 62-44 advantage before Northwestern went on a 5-0 run to trim its deficit to 62-49 with 14 seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Northwestern turned four offensive rebounds into three second chance points on the way to scoring 17 total points in the quarter.
Michigan State kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 64-49 advantage before Northwestern went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Wood's jumper, to shrink the deficit to 64-55 with 8:00 to go in the contest. The Wildcats kept their comeback going, but Michigan State managed to hold on for the 71-64 win. Northwestern got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring 11 of its 15 total points.
Game Notes
» The Wildcats held the Spartans to only 37.3 percent shooting from the field.
» The Wildcats shared the ball well, recording an assist on 68 percent of made baskets.
» Northwestern lost despite a 41-40 rebounding advantage.
» The Northwestern defense forced 13 turnovers.
» The Wildcats were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording nine blocks as a team.
» Northwestern cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Sydney Wood led the Wildcats with 12 points and tied a career high with four blocks.
» Northwestern got nine rebounds from both Caileigh Walsh and Sydney Wood.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
