Northwestern Proves Too Much For Indiana Women’s Basketball in 80-67 Loss

Saturday, January 14

Evanston, IL

3 PM

Indiana University

12-6, 2-3

Northwestern

14-4, 3-2

Indiana

Northwestern

Northwestern Proves Too Much For Indiana Women’s Basketball in 80-67 Loss

1/14/2017 5:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. – Offensive woes plagued the Indiana Women's Basketball team on Saturday afternoon, as it dropped an 80-67 decision to Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Indiana was led by senior center Jenn Anderson and junior forward Amanda Cahill who each scored 17 points in the loss. As a team, the Hoosiers shot a season-low 32.4 percent and tied a season low 67 points which couldn't keep up with a hot Wildcat team who shot over 50 percent in three of four quarters and combined for a 49.2 percent effort from the floor.

Cahill also recorded her seventh double-double of the season as she led IU with 13 rebounds. Junior guard Tyra Buss added 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals while senior guard Alexis Gassion also made it to double figures with 10 points to go along with a team-high seven assists and three steals. Anderson tied a career-high with three blocks while also grabbing five rebounds.

IU (12-6, 2-3 B1G) opened up scoring in the first quarter on a Gassion steal that led into an Anderson bucket in transition. Gassion's first 3-pointer of the day gave IU its only lead of the day, 7-6, with 7:06 remaining a before 5-0 run for the Wildcats. Cahill stopped the run as she drew contact and completed the and-1 to keep IU within one at the media timeout.

However, Northwestern (14-4, 3-2 B1G) would close out the quarter on a 12-2 advantage to take a 23-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. After the Wildcats took its largest lead of the half with a pair at the line less than a minute into the second quarter, Anderson got IU back on the board in the second, on a feed from Gassion.

But Northwestern took advantage of a nearly five-minute field goal drought by the Hoosiers before Buss drained a three-pointer from the left baseline to make it 29-23 with three minutes to play. Gassion responded to Buss with a trey of her own, giving IU an 8-0 run to cut the lead down to three. But offensive woes continued, as Indiana wouldn't score after that to head into halftime down, 32-27.

Coming out in the third quarter, Anderson scored the first two buckets including an and-1 to cut the Northwestern lead down to two, 36-34. The two teams exchanged three pointers before NU stretched it back out to five with 7:18 to play. Indiana tied it up at 42-42 as Buss recorded one of her three 3-pointers of the night followed by a pair at the line for Cahill. A six-point swing in favor of the Wildcats late in the quarter pushed their lead at the end of the third out to 57-46.

IU came within nine in the early goings of the fourth on a bucket by Cahill, but Northwestern go back up by double-digits, holding a 14-point margin with 4:38 remaining before Indiana came alive late in the game. Anderson was key with two buckets near the one minute mark left in play as the score was eventually cut to as few as seven after senior guard Amber Deane hit a 3-pointer but Northwestern – who was in the bonus – hit six free throws down the stretch to seal the game.

NOTES

Junior forward Amanda Cahill recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 13 rebounds. It also marked the 24^th double-double of her career, which ties Zan Jefferies for seventh place all-time.
Senior center Jenn Anderson matched a career-high three blocks to push her all-time career number to 53 as she continues to sit in 11^th place on the all-time block list. Anderson also tied a team-high 17 points in the loss.
Junior guard Tyra Buss extends her school record of 55 straight double-figure scoring game with 14 points on three 3-pointers.
Indiana's 67 points and 32.4 field goal percentage were both season-lows.

UP NEXT
IU returns home to Bloomington when it welcomes in-state conference rival Purdue to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game is set for 8 p.m. ET and will be carried on the Big Ten Network.

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