Northwestern women’s basketball took it to No. 24 West Virginia Friday night but fell just short of the mark 66-53.
Guard Camdyn Nelson led the way for the Wildcats with 12 points and six rebounds. Senior Casey Harter and junior Lily Carmody were also strong contributors, scoring 10 and nine respectively. Northwestern was able to keep the game close for much of it, with the score even being tied with less than five minutes left. However, West Virginia was able to find the free throw line 26 times
and created 22 turnovers, ending the game on a 15-2 run. Northwestern was not able to overcome this, despite consistently battling back from deficits.
West Virginia started off by putting pressure on Northwestern, playing a full court press, being high tempo on offense and getting out to an early 5-0 lead. Northwestern got off to a slow start with two turnovers, but a layup from center Jasmyn Cooper-Derba and five points from forward Lexi Blue allowed the ‘Cats to keep it close at 8-7.
However, the ‘Cats kept getting in their own way, turning the ball over and fouling West Virginia, allowing it to get an early four attempts at the charity strip. West Virginia starting forward Zahriah Walton was also causing problems for Northwestern, scoring 10 points in the first quarter.
Northwestern battled the entire first quarter, forcing four turnovers and holding West Virginia to under 50% from the field. Northwestern was able to convert this strong defense play into offense, as guard Camdyn Nelson took a turnover the distance to tie the game 16-16 at the end of the first quarter.
The strong play on defense continued for the Wildcats, creating a turnover and leading West Virginia to take poor shots. Northwestern struggled on offense to create looks they wanted, settling for long threes from forward Lily Carmody and turning the ball over when trying to play with tempo.
West Virginia continued to impose its will in the paint, scoring six straight points down low or off of free throws. This allowed West Virginia to get out to a 22-16 lead. Northwestern’s offensive woes continued mightily with four turnovers and not scoring a field goal until the 5:22 mark in the second with a Casey Harter “and-1” layup.
West Virginia did not let up, however, as after knocking down a three, it consistently found itself at the free throw line, to extend the lead to 28-21. But, West Virginia reciprocated the fouls, putting Northwestern in the bonus, allowing the ‘Cats to put up some of their own free throws to bring the game back to within four.
And despite a pair of turnovers by Nelson down the stretch, Northwestern was able to close the half down just 36-30 off the back of two Cooper-Derba layups and one from Righeimer.
It was a strong team effort in the first half, with seven different ‘Cats scoring. Nelson led the way with eight points, while Cooper-Derba had six points and five rebounds. The team turned the ball over a whopping 10 times and committed nine fouls. Walton was a monster for West Virginia, scoring 14 first half points.
Northwestern started the second half hot, with Harter hitting a three to get her first points of the game and cut the lead down to three. She continued scoring by taking a rebound coast-to-coast. This led to a huge momentum swing towards the Wildcats, as Carmody unloaded one from deep to tie the game at 38.
Both teams did not stay in lockstep for long, as following a timeout, West Virginia would take it to the paint, find itself at the line and take a one point lead. West Virginia translated this physicality on the defensive end, blocking Carmody and drawing a charge on her as well.
Northwestern was not deterred in the slightest by this; the team played lockdown defense, highlighted by Harter having perhaps the play of the game, stopping a 3-on-1 advantage for the Mountaineers all on her own with an emphatic block with 6:38 left in the third.
Eventually, West Virginia was able to catch some first, extending its lead out to six and playing strong defense, blocking three shots. Brooke Golden was able to score a mid range jumper off a block with 2:07 left in the quarter. Northwestern continued this pressure with a pair of Carmody free throws and a Harter layup. And after forcing a shot clock violation, Northwestern was able to keep it at a two point deficit down 46-44 heading into the final quarter.
Northwestern was once again unable to start the quarter with any sort of rhythm, not scoring until the 7:15 mark. West Virginia punched right back with a layup, but failed to convert a numbers advantage, keeping it at a three-point game until 4:37 when Kat Righeimer hit a wild layup with a free throw to tie the game up. But, West Virginia immediately answered with a layup and another transition bucket from Walton to create a four point cushion.
Guard Gia Cooke hit a tough layup to extend the lead to six and get herself to 16 on the day. She didn’t stop there, as she added three more points on her stat sheet with under two minutes to play. This would prove to be too much of a lead for Northwestern, as West Virginia would force two turnovers and go on a 15-2 run lasting over three minutes, while the ‘Cats turned the ball over four times. West Virginia was able to pull away and win 66-53.
Now head coach Carla Berube and her squad have to regroup quickly as they face Appalachian State Saturday at 5 p.m. CST.
