Northwestern had a winnable game on its schedule today against Penn State, a team that had just one Big Ten victory entering the contest. But the 'Cats couldn't get the job done on the road, suffering from another slow start and persisting turnover problems.
Grace Sullivan, as she often does, helped lead the way for the Wildcats in this one. She finished with 16 points on 4-of-13 shooting. It wasn't her most efficient performance, but she impacted the game in other ways as well, corralling seven rebounds.
Kat Righeimer was also an impact player for the 'Cats in this one, finishing with 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Her production in the second half especially helped keep Northwestern in the game.
Northwestern finished this game with 14 turnovers on the afternoon to Penn State's 11. The 'Cats also trailed in the rebounding battle, 45-28. Both of these things have been an issue this season, as well as in years past. Since Northwestern can't seem to gain an advantage in either category, it essentially has to shoot the lights out to win basketball games.
Northwestern had yet another uninspiring start to this one. The 'Cats immediately fell behind, and they trailed 22-12 by the end of the first quarter.
Sullivan struggled from the field in the first half, shooting 1-of-4, but she made her money at the free-throw line and finished the period with seven points. The issue was, nobody else on Northwestern supplemented her scoring.
Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions were much better on offense. They were shooting the ball at a 41% clip at the break to Northwestern's pretty brutal 25%. Turnovers were also a glaring issue, as NU coughed up the ball eight times in the first have, leading to 11 points and a 36-22 deficit.
In the third quarter, the 'Cats warmed up a little bit, outscoring PSU 27-22 in the 10 minutes. Entering the fourth trailing 58-49, hope was alive for the visiting squad. Kat Righeimer was a force in the third, scoring 13 points and singlehandedly helping Northwestern to pull back within spitting distance.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Righeimer immediately drilled a three to bring Northwestern even closer. By the six-minute mark, the score was 66-59 in favor of the Nittany Lions. Northwestern just needed one final scoring run down the stretch.
At the 1:18 mark, the 'Cats were still behind, but they'd cut it all the way to 72-68. But Penn State immediately scored on its next possession, and from there, Northwestern was in the foul game.
The 'Cats will be back in action on Wednesday against Michigan State at 5:30 p.m. CT in East Lansing.