New year, no spark. Northwestern women’s basketball (6-8, 0-3 B1G) never lit the fuse in a tough game against Oregon State (13-3, 1-2 B1G).
The ‘Cats wrap up their West Coast trip on New Year’s Day against the Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon’s tough defense led to turnovers and insurmountable odds in an 87-54 win for the Ducks and the Wildcats’ biggest loss of the season.
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After a strong performance against Washington, Grace Sullivan scored another 23 points in both halves to lead Northwestern. The only players who came close to Sullivan’s dominance were Tyra Thomas and Casey Hart, who scored nine and eight points, respectively. Liu leads all players with 10 assists.
Oregon State led for more than 36 minutes as Katie Fiso, Mia Jacobs and Sarah Rambus powered them to the dominant victory. Fiso scored a team-high 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Jacobs and Lambas scored 16 and 12 points respectively.
In the whole game, the two teams committed a total of 34 fouls. However, the ‘Cats’ inability to capitalize on the opportunities presented by those calls resulted in a crushing defeat.
After Northwestern earned a tip, Sullivan dove into the paint for a two-pointer. After both teams missed consecutive shots, Tayla Thomas fouled Oregon State’s Ehis Etute, giving Ehis Etute two free throws at the free throw line to tie the game. After Thomas’ layup, the Cats were in foul trouble again. This time, Casey Hart and Shamea Walton fouled Oregon State’s Katie Feiso and Sophia Bell in succession. Both Ducks hit field goals, extending Oregon’s lead by four points.
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A steal by Etute in transition for Northwestern gave the Green and Yellow more points, but a personal foul on Arilon gave Hart two free throws of his own. With 5 minutes left in the first quarter, Hart tied the score at 8.
More missed shots from both teams resulted in them trading the ball left and right. But Liu ran to the three-point line and passed to Sullivan, and the star senior sank three to take the lead. There was a quick response, however, as sophomore Avary Cain knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Ducks back in the game. Shots from both teams and a personal foul by Thomas led to the first media timeout with 1:45 left in the first quarter, with Northwestern trailing 16-14.
After halftime, Philippa Tiliander hit two free throws, then Hart answered with a shot from beyond the arc. Sullivan’s steal set up another two-pointer, and Oregon answered with two points to take a 20-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Ducks’ Sarah Rambus squeezed into the paint with her shoulder and scored two more points. After Hart missed a three-pointer and Kane immediately shot from beyond the arc, Northwestern called a timeout to regroup.
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After the timeout, Hart made a throw-in and Northwestern University began to take possession of the ball, but Liu’s pass was not good, causing the team to make quick mistakes. After that, there were a total of five fouls on the field, including two fouls by Sullivan. This resulted in her being replaced by DaiJa Turner. Multiple baskets by Oregon further extended the lead, while foul trouble continued to be an issue for the ‘Cats. The Ducks then got a one-and-one on a transition play from Jacobs to Amina Muhammad, who was fouled by Liu.
With 4 minutes and 37 seconds left in the game, the score was 37-21. The tempo picked up after Thomas made a free throw after Oregon’s shooting foul ended a minute and a half of scoring drought. The two teams’ quick sprint from one goal post to the other resulted in an exchange of possessions after five consecutive missed shots.
Thomas and Fiso then each made two layups, and they entered the paint area with consecutive attacks. The Cats’ sloppy passing led to a turnover and a field goal by the Ducks, ultimately leading to another NU timeout with 43 seconds left in the half.
After the timeout, Tate Lash hit a hook shot to give the Cats the points they needed most before the clock hit zero. Oregon went into halftime with a 45-30 lead. NU trailed 25-11 as Sullivan was on the bench for much of the quarter and committed three fouls.
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Even in her absence, Sullivan led the way for the Cats – 12 total points and 6-8 from behind the arc. Fiso scored a team-high 12 points, 5-of-9 shooting, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Followed by Kane, she scored 9 points and 2 rebounds. But nearly every player on the field got a piece of the pie, with nine Ducks scoring at least two points.
However, one-third of the Ducks’ points came from 12 ‘Cats turnovers, seven of which were steals. Whether that was due to Northwestern’s inability to pass the ball cleanly or pressure from Oregon State, it’s clear Joe McKeown’s team needs to make some changes in the locker room.
Once the buzzer blew in the third quarter, more fouls plagued the game. Beyond that, multiple steals by Ducks players began to make the game look like a repeat of the first two quarters. With Sullivan back in the game, the Cats started to score more points, but every shot was answered by their opponents.
In the first 5:00 of the third quarter, Hart and Walton each made three-pointers, and Sullivan and Thomas each made two shots. But it had no effect, and Oregon remained ruthless, trailing the Ducks by 19 points, 60-41, at the media timeout.
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After the timeout, Thomas’ missed shot turned into an Oregon three-pointer. Another turnover by Oregon’s Sofia Bell turned into a pair of free throws – and nearly every turnover by the ‘Cats snowballed into an even bigger deficit. The Ducks went on a 12-0 run late in the third quarter while the Wildcats were held scoreless for more than five minutes.
Walton’s fast-break three-pointer and Sullivan’s layup broke Oregon State’s momentum to start the final quarter, with the score now 72-48. Every score the Ducks scored over the next three minutes was answered by Northwestern, showing that the fight was still there.
But after Oregon’s Ali Long hit a three-pointer, the Cats fell into a scoring drought. The game took two minutes to end, and the culprit was Sullivan’s turnaround jumper. Northwestern tried to score in the final 3:00 of the game, but it was clear that the fate of the game was sealed. When the clock hit zero, the Cats’ final score fell to 87-54.
The Cats will continue their Big Ten play on Monday, January 5, when the 14th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Wales Ryan Arena. The game is scheduled for 7:30 pm CST and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
