Tag: Drought

It was another tough loss for the ‘Cats at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Northwestern (7-12, 0-8 B1G) could not pick up its first conference win of the year, falling short by a score of 85-80 against the Iowa Hawkeyes (14-7, 4-6 B1G).

For the Hawkeyes, Hannah Stuelke led the way with a season-high 26 points along with six rebounds. The ‘Cats were led by Melannie Daley and Caileigh Walsh, who put up 15 points apiece. Caroline Lau added 13 on 4-of-6 shooting from three, and the ‘Cats shot just 65% from the free throw line compared to 90% for the Hawkeyes. Both teams shot above 40% from three, with the ‘Cats hitting a season-high nine triples on 60% three-point shooting.

Wildcat head coach Joe McKeown made a change in the starting lineup for this matchup, benching point guard Lau for the first time this season. Lau sat in favor of a three-forward starting lineup featuring Walsh who had previously been coming off the bench.

The Hawkeyes won the tip, but Kylie Feuerbach missed the opening layup and committed a foul on the subsequent possession. Grace Sullivan got the ‘Cats on the board after a couple of empty possessions with a layup to put Northwestern up 2-1. After a brief period of no scoring, Lucy Olsen fouled Wildcat guard Kyla Jones on a shot near the basket and Jones made 1-of-2 at the charity stripe. Olsen missed a three-ball on the next opportunity for Iowa, and then Casey Harter knocked down a corner three for the Wildcats off a nice assist from Grace Sullivan.

Stuelke, a key player in Iowa’s March Madness run last season, converted a quick two for Iowa, but Walsh responded with another triple, and the ‘Cats were up 9-3. After the teams traded buckets, Lau and Daley checked in for NU for the first time, and the teams traded turnovers on the subsequent two possessions. Lau, an inefficient 22.7% three-point shooter entering the game, hit a big three to extend the lead to nine, and after a shooting foul on Daley sent Feuerbach to the line, the Wildcats went into the media break with a surprising 14-5 lead.

Feuerbach made 1-of-2 following the timeout. Iowa went into the press on the next possession, but the ‘Cats broke through successfully, and a deep two from Daley put the ‘Cats up by double digits for the first time in the game. Addison O’Grady finally responded for the Hawkeyes, picking up her first bucket to cut things to 16-8. With Northwestern clinging to a 20-17 lead, Casey Harter hit a huge three to double the advantage. The Hawkeyes trailed 23-20 after one quarter of action.

The second quarter scoring opened up with another mid-range jumper from Daley. She fought hard for a defensive rebound on the subsequent defensive possession, and Williams took a feed from Kyla Jones to put the ‘Cats up seven. Hannah Stuelke’s quickness was not to be denied, however. She fueled a 7-0 Hawkeye run to bring things even at 27.

Stuelke was unstoppable with another lay-in off the glass, and Iowa fans were making noise after retaking the lead. Feuerbach checked out after a foul on Caroline Lau underneath, and Lau made 1-of-2 to cut Iowa’s advantage to 29-28. Sydney Affolter hit a three on her first field goal attempt a short time later, giving the Hawkeyes a 12-1 run and a four-point lead. A short time later, Walsh hit a big three to stem the tide, but she committed an offensive foul on the Wildcats’ next possession, sending the game to break with the ‘Cats down by one.

Coming out of the break, the ‘Cats struck first on a layup from Jones to retake the lead. After a timeout, Williams drew a shooting foul, splitting the free throws to slash the deficit to two. With Northwestern down four, Harter converted a tough and-one on the left baseline, making the free throw and reducing Iowa’s lead to one. Surprisingly, Stuelke missed a layup on Iowa’s next offensive trip, and she fouled Williams on the floor, sending Williams to the line with the Wildcats in the bonus. Williams made 1-of-2, keeping the game tied at 38. With under a minute to go in the half. Stuelke redeemed herself with a successful three-point play on a third foul from Walsh. Iowa went to the locker room with a 41-38 lead.

Both teams shot around 50% in the first half, and, surprisingly, the ‘Cats were 5-of-8 from three, a good sign for a squad that had shot just 27.9% from deep entering the game. Harter led the ‘Cats with nine points (all on threes), and Williams and Walsh added four rebounds apiece. For Iowa, it was Stuelke who led the way with 18 points and five boards.

The second half began with a nice scoop shot from Affolter to put Iowa up by five. Daley responded with a signature mid-ranger, and she added another layup to put Northwestern within one. Sullivan missed a couple of jumpers that could have given the ‘Cats the lead, and Feuerbach capitalized with a three to fire up the Iowa crowd. Still, it was Daley responding with yet another mid-range jumper. After another Iowa three, Sullivan drew a foul on Affolter, knocking down both free throws to slice the deficit to three. The deficit was 52-48 for the ‘Cats at the media timeout following a Grace Sullivan foul on Hannah Stuelke.

Stuelke cashed in on two free throws from Sullivan’s third foul of the game, and Olsen swerved to the rim for another two points for the Hawkeyes. Walsh drew a shooting foul on Iowa’s Taylor Stremlow, missing both free throws, but Daley picked up the offensive rebound and converted a successful three-point play off an inside layup. Jones made a nice move inside on a later possession, and, suddenly, the ‘Cats were trailing by just three.

Following an Iowa timeout, Taylor Williams, who had drawn a foul, made 1-of-2 free throws. After a mini-drought from both teams, Olsen hammered home a corner three to put the Hawkeyes up 59-54 with 1:38 remaining in the third quarter. Sullivan followed with a fadeaway jumper, but a nice pass from Stuelke set up a Guyton three-ball for Iowa. Neither team scored for the rest of the quarter, setting the stage for yet another close final period for the ‘Cats, who trailed 62-56.

Stuelke started the fourth quarter with a floater to put Iowa up by eight. Daley responded with an acrobatic two to quiet the crowd, but Affolter was money from three, swishing one on the left wing to create a nine-point lead. Lau canned one from the same wing on the opposite side, and after just 90 seconds of chaotic basketball, the teams went into a timeout with Iowa up 67-61.

Walsh picked up her fourth foul coming out of the break, and Harter fouled Affolter on a subsequent drive, sending her to the line for two shots both of which she made. Both teams sustained a brief field goal drought, and with Northwestern desperately needing a breakthrough, Olsen’s elbow jumper silenced the ‘Cats instead. Williams found a way to get two on a layup, but Olsen was too quick for the Wildcats, driving down the right baseline to put Iowa ahead 73-65. Daley’s mid-ranger clanged off the back iron, and Feuerbach’s drive induced a Wildcat shooting foul with 4:01 to go in the fourth. She made both, giving Iowa a 10-point edge.

A foul on Caroline Lau sent the Hawkeyes into the bonus, and Lucy Olsen capitalized, making both free throws to move up to 16 points on the night. Once again, it seemed as though Northwestern was slowly letting a conference game slip away in the fourth quarter, but Lau hit a tough corner three to cut the deficit to single digits again. Walsh swished a floater off an excellent move on the baseline, and, suddenly, the Hawkeyes took a timeout with Northwestern down 77-70.

Stuelke outfought Northwestern’s defense for a layup near the right low block, and the ‘Cats turned the ball over on the next possession, a brutal sequence for the team. Northwestern began to full-court press and did eventually force an Olsen three-point miss late in the shot clock. An Iowa foul sent Casey Harter to the line, and she made both free throws. Iowa ran down the shot clock again on its next possession, and Guyton drew a foul on her drive with 53 seconds to go.

Guyton knocked down both free throws to extend Iowa’s lead to nine. With Northwestern’s hopes growing slim, Wildcat head coach Joe McKeown used a timeout. The stoppage did boost Northwestern, as Lau hit a three, and the ‘Cats got a steal and a Taylor Williams put-back to cut the lead to four in an instant. Following a foul, Guyton made two free throws, boosting Iowa to an 83-77 advantage. Walsh nailed a three from the right corner to make it a one-possession game with 11 seconds to go. Stuelke drew a foul with 8.9 on the clock, and she made both free throws. A missed three-pointer from Lau was the nail in the coffin, and Northwestern fell short 85-80.

The ‘Cats will host Michigan State on Sunday at 2 p.m. CST.