By Philip Rossman-Reich

Marquette had nearly completed a 14-point halftime comeback. Down by two, the Golden Eagles double teamed sophomore center Amy Jaeschke. Jaeschke skipped it to 3-point specialist Erin Dickerson wide open for a 3-pointer.

The ball squirted through her hands.

Marquette took advantage of the opportunity. Krystal Ellis tied the game at 54 with a pull up jumper along the baseline. Sophomore guard Meshia Reed missed a 3-pointer and fouled Ellis going for the rebound. Ellis completed the comeback with a free throw with 14 seconds left as Marquette came from behind for a 55-54 win at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Tuesday.

The Wildcats could not create any offense on their final possession and Dickerson made a 3-pointer after the buzzer sounded, sealing NU’s defeat.

“That’s just something as a team we need to work on,” sophomore center Amy Jaeschke said. “We’ll do really good for 30 minutes and for 10 minutes, we’ll just kind of not play the way that we should be. I think that it’s a lot of leadership that we need on the court when teams are making runs to step up and tell them and get the team together and bring the energy back up.”

Jaeschke recorded a double double with 10 points and 10 boards, but took only five shots in the game. Junior forward Kristin Cartwright led the team with 12 and freshman Brittany Orban and Reed added 10 each.

NU dominated the first half and took a 14-point lead to the locker room, forcing 14 turnovers and allowing only 28 percent shooting.

The second half was a complete flip. The Cats turned the ball over 10 times in the second half and hit only five of their 19 shots as the Golden Eagles gradually chipped away at the lead.

“At halftime we knew this happened before. We didn’t want it to happen again,” Cartwright said. “They were pressuring a lot in the second half and we didn’t handle it very well. When they started to make a run, we didn’t stop it. We had a hard time stopping runs and capitalizing on our runs.”

NU held a double digit lead with about 11 minutes left as the Golden Eagles inched their way back into the game. Coach Joe McKeown said the team struggled to stop the ball off the dribble as the game wore on. That was most evident in the play of Ellis.

She entered the game averaging 16.0 points per game and scored 30 in NU’s 65-63 win at Marquette last year. Ellis had only five points on one-of-five shooting in the first half. She finished with 18, including the three clinching points for the Golden Eagles.

For the Cats it was another struggle in learning how to finish games. After losing leads in previous losses, McKeown said the team still needs to learn how to execute in tight situations.

“We missed a shot and fouled them with the game tied, we can’t do that. We’ve got to be better at the end of the game,” McKeown said. “For us, it’s a learning experience. We have two freshmen on the floor. Kristin Cartwright didn’t play last year. Amy is only a sophomore. Meisha is a sophomore. We’ve got to skip a grade basically to finish these games off.”

prossmanreich@u.northwestern.edu

Northwestern split a pair of weekend home games at the DoubleTree White Invitational. The Wildcats (2-4) have been anchored by sophomore center Amy Jaeschke who is averaging 16.3 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game.

She has been helped recently by junior forward Kristin Cartwright. Cartwright has averaged 15.3 points per game in her last three outings — including scoring a career-high 16 twice in the last three games.

NU faces a tough test tonight in Marquette (5-2). The Golden Eagles have lost their last two games after taking their first five, including a 76-71 loss to No. 15 Virginia on Saturday. Guard Krystal Ellis is averaging 16.0 points per game.

Last season, Jaeschke returned from injury and led the Cats to an upset 65-63 victory on the road against the Golden Eagles. Jaeschke scored 21 points and blocked Ellis’ shot with little time remaining to secure a one-point lead and the win.

Keys to the Game

1. Contain Krystal Ellis- Ellis may have missed the go-ahead basket in last year’s meeting in Milwaukee, but she is still a huge threat on the floor. Ellis had 30 points and 10 rebounds when the two teams faced off last year. She is still a huge focus for the offense and opposing defenses. NU’s new defense will be put to the test tonight against one of the best scorers they will probably see all season. The Cats will need to force the guard away from the basket, taking her off the glass and off the scoreboard.

2. Serve a healthy diet of Amy Jaeschke- no reason not to continue with what works. Jaeschke had a career game last year in her first game after an injury. Jaeschke should be a dominant force in the post again. If she can have another career night, she will not only be helping herself but also freeing up space for her teammates.

By Adam Fusfeld

After a preseason centered on fitting the newcomers in with the team, it is finally time to see how it will all come together.

On Sunday, Northwestern kicks off the 2008-09 basketball season by welcoming Central Arkansas to Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats have lost their last two home openers, losing to then-No. 20 Stanford 71-60 last season and Cornell 64-61 the year before.

NU wants a win to get the season started in the right direction.

“We’d like to get off to a good start in non-conference play,” junior forward Kevin Coble said. “If we get some momentum going into the Big Ten that would be really good for us.”

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WOMEN’S HOOPS: MCKEOWN GETS FIRST TRUE TEST

By Danny Daly

Less than one month after the official start of practice, Northwestern faces what could be its most difficult non-conference opponent.

The Wildcats will follow their opener at Chicago State on Friday with a battle against Kansas State in their first home game this Monday. Kansas State returns three of its top four scorers after advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament as a five-seed last year, knocking off Chattanooga before falling to Louisville.

Anxious to put the disappointment of last season’s injury-ravaged campaign behind them, the Cats are highly anticipating their first chance to see how they match up with a top team from a major conference.

“It’s better to play the harder teams, and it’s more fun too,” said junior forward Kristin Cartwright, who redshirted last year while recovering from an ACL injury. “You look forward to it more. It’s more exciting and you have to play your best.”

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