Northwestern competed for a little while against a far superior Maryland team tonight, but it ran out of gas in the second half and couldn't mount a comeback.
The Terps came into the game with a 22-6 record on the season and ranked No. 14 in the country. The 'Cats entered the contest at 8-19 and sitting in second-to-last place in the Big Ten.
Safe to say, there's a big talent disparity between these two teams, and it probably wasn't Northwestern's best chance to get back into the win column. Regardless, the 'Cats' losing stretch is getting tough to watch, as they haven't won since January 15.
Grace Sullivan led the way for the Wildcats in this one, scoring 23 points and adding on five rebounds. Caroline Lau was also a factor, posting nine points and nine assists.
But Northwestern simply couldn't stop Oluchi Okananwa on the other end, who scored a whopping 25 points in the game and played a massive role in burying the 'Cats in the second half.
As per usual, Northwestern continuously shot itself in the foot coughing up the ball. The 'Cats have had a bad turnover problem all season, but especially in recent games, and tonight was no different. When all was said in done, NU had turned it over 21 times in the game, resulting in 24 Maryland points on offense.
In the opening quarter, the Terps got off to a bit of a slow start shooting the ball, and it allowed Northwestern to stick around. At the end of the frame, the 'Cats only trailed 20-14, and it felt like Maryland might be off its game.
In the second quarter, though, it started to be clear that wasn't the case. By the time the horn sounded, the 'Cats were trailing 44-31, and it was hard to imagine a world in which they'd be able to come back.
Still, 13 points isn't too crazy of a deficit, and it would have been nice to see Northwestern keep it around there for a little longer in the second half. That did not happen.
The Terps just continued to slowly lengthen their lead in the second half, and despite 11 more points from Sullivan, Northwestern just couldn't keep up.
Ultimately, the 'Cats were probably never going to win this game, especially on the road. But after the first quarter, it would have been nice to see a little more fight and will-to-win.
NU will be back in action against Purdue against Purdue on Sunday to close out its regular season. It will be in search of one more win before the season concludes to end Joe McKeown's regular season career on a high note.