The most lopsided quarter of the season proved insurmountable for Northwestern women’s basketball (8-14, 2-9 BIG) as they fell to Indiana (12-11, 1-10 BIG) 89-75. Assembly Hall exploded early thanks to the Hoosiers’ 30-3 advantage at the end of the first quarter, a lead that proved insurmountable despite a late Wildcats surge.
Grace Sullivan eclipsed 30 points for the fourth time this season, posting 35 points on 15-of-28 shooting. Lau added 10 points in a strong defensive performance. Despite shooting just
5% from the field in the first quarter, the ‘Cats recovered by going 42% from the field overall, but conceded a 58% field goal percentage to the Hoosiers and got outrebounded 38-27.
Edessa Noyan got the scoring started, sinking both from the free throw line after a bounce-pass into the paint from Ciezki. Tayla Thomas immediately answered for the Wildcats, converting a tough and-one from just outside the cylinder.
It didn’t take long for Indiana to get going, as Ciezski easily penetrated the Cats interior. The Hoosiers scored on their next three possessions thanks to a three from Maya Makalusky, a bucket from Lenee Beaumont and a Ciezki smooth pull-up as the Hoosiers took a 13-3 lead, forcing a Northwestern timeout.
Despite Northwestern’s early woes, it wasn’t all bad for the cats, as Ciezki picked up her second offensive foul leading to an early trip to the bench. It quickly got from bad to worse. Sullivan couldn’t buy a bucket, starting 0-of-6 from the floor as the Wildcats recorded just three points in seven minutes. For Indiana, it was Beaumont and Makaluski filling the Ciezki-sized void to extend the Indiana lead to a whopping 21-3.
A travel from DaiJa Turner allowed Ciezki to check back in and immediately drain a three from the left wing. Indiana ended the first quarter on an almost unfathomable 28-0 run to bring the score to 30-3 as Northwestern finished 1-of-17 from the field heading into the second quarter. The Cats would need a miracle to get back in this game.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t one in the cards as Thomas turned it over on the first possession out of the break, but Casey Harter soon ended the ten minute scoring drought with a deep three. Northwestern came out of a timeout down 26 and went into a light press which the Hoosiers effortlessly broke with two threes by Ciezki and Makalusky. Indiana had three double-digit scorers with eight minutes left in the half and led the rebounding battle 18-6.
Sullivan’s mini scoring burst to get the Wildcats to 12 points fell short of even a moral victory as Beaumont’s and-1 extended the lead to an eye-popping 36 points. Northwestern settled for contested jump shots as Indiana penetrated paint seemingly at will, but Sullivan found her elbow jumper to tack on points seven and eight.
Lau found Sullivan on a cut to finally get the lead below 30 but Ciezki just kept pounding the paint as she hit two from the stripe to get the Hoosiers to 50. The Hoosiers were more than willing to let any Wildcat shoot from deep, but no one could capitalize as they finished 1-8 from beyond the arc at halftime.
The first half boxscore was…ugly. Northwestern did not record a steal or a block and finished the half with more fouls than defensive rebounds. Sullivan was the only bright spot offensively posting 17 first-half points, while their second leading scorers, Thomas and Harter, had three points apiece. Indiana, on the other hand, converted 61% of its shots.
Indiana continued to play with a lightning pace in the second half while the Sullivan-versus-the Hoosiers contest continued as the senior eclipsed the 20 point mark with an and-1. Northwestern opted for a full court press which led to two uncontested makes for Indiana.
Northwestern’s press started to make noise out of a timeout leading to five consecutive buckets followed by a forced ten second violation, but a Lau offensive foul killed the momentum. After a clock malfunction, Lau bounced back with a three followed by a steal and another bucket to cut the lead to 18, but the Wildcats’ tired legs led to eight easy ones for the Hoosiers.
The Wildcats, led by Lau’s unmatched motor, kept driving for every loose ball and sprinting in the press. Fouls on both ends slowed the pace heading into the fourth quarter but Ciezke wouldn’t be denied, upping her total to 27 entering the final period. Despite the unprecedented ugliness of the first quarter, the Wildcats outscored the Hoosiers in the next two frames 49-45.
It was Turner and Sullivan, who increased her total to 29, leading the charge in the fourth as Northwestern chipped away at the deficit. The Hoosier lead dwindled to 14 four minutes in, but a handful of Wildcats fouls slowed things down. But Indiana couldn’t buy a bucket and Ciezki picked up her third offensive foul leading to another Sullivan bucket giving the Wildcats life.
All of a sudden, Northwestern found their interior defense, and the lead was just ten heading into the media timeout. A Beaumont pull-up from the free throw line eased the tension at Assembly Hall, but Lau quickly answered. It felt like Indiana cracked the press with two minutes left and a 12 point lead, but Sullivan kept the dream alive with her fourteenth make. Ciezke hit two free throws to cap a wild game. Northwestern deserves credit for shaking off that disastrous first quarter and they will look for a better start against USC on Feb. 5 at 8:00 p.m. CST.
