Halftime: Defense doing the trick
Northwestern’s defense has been simply stifling in the first half as the team takes a 34-20 lead to the locker room.
The Wildcats have held the Golden Eagles to 28 percent shooting and forced 14 turnovers. Marquette has made only seven field goals in the game.
While NU has recorded only five steals, a lot of the turnovers have been caused by increased ball pressure and by the team’s active hands. The Cats earned at least five tie ups that went to a jump ball.
Defense has been the focus early in the season for NU and new coach Joe McKeown. there have been some bumps in the road early in the season, but this kind of effort is what he is looking for when the team reaches its full potential.
The offense is taking care of thins on its end.
Marquette is very clearly concerned with defending Amy Jaeschke. With no one who can measure up to her height-wise, the Golden Eagles are sending two, sometimes three defenders at her every time she catches the ball. Jaeschke has six points and six rebounds, but more importantly, three assists.
As the defense has collapsed around her, Jaeschke has found open players for three-pointers and easy jumpers.
On defense, she has changed numerous shots and gotten her hands on a couple (as has the rest of the team). But even when Marquette gets an offensive rebound — the team is outrebounding NU 16-13 — the team has been unable to get second chance points.
In the second half, expect the Golden Eagles to focus more on working inside out and not getting trapped in the paint where Jaeschke and freshman forward Brittany Orban are wreaking havoc. Marquette may have to abandon the plan to swarm Jaeschke as she catches the ball and try to force her to win the game on her own.
If the Golden Eagles can limit their turnovers, they have the talent and ability to close the gap and make things interesting. Marquette is averaging 79.9 points per game and score points in bunches.
