INDIANAPOLIS – It’s not often in basketball when a team scores only a single point in a quarter, but that’s just what Northwestern did in Iowa’s 55-45 win over the Wildcats.
“I think that might be the first time I’ve ever experienced anything like that,” Hawkeye head coach Lisa Bluder said. “That was pretty amazing, [but] thank goodness for that first quarter and that good start because we needed all of that to finish this game.”
Thursday marked the fifth time this season that Iowa held an opponent to fewer than 50 points, but the first time since taking down Wisconsin, 56-46, on Dec. 28.
The Hawkeyes smothered the Wildcats early, as they did not make a single shot from the floor in quarter No. 1. Northwestern’s only point came on a free throw, courtesy of Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah.
Iowa managed to secure a 22-1 lead after the first quarter, thanks to its defensive heroics and a 64 percent shooting performance.
But for the remainder of the contest, however, the Hawkeye offense fell dormant. The turnover bug plagued the Hawkeyes, and shots that fell early failed to make their way into the bucket.
Iowa made four of its six 3-point attempts in its dominating first quarter, but the shots from deep tailed off; the Hawkeyes hit only two more 3-pointers from then on out.
Megan Gustafson, the Hawkeyes’ stat-sheet stuffer, found herself in foul trouble, and wasn’t her usual self on offense. She managed to take only eight shots, scoring 12 points and grabbing 9 rebounds, but
Northwestern’s best offense came in the second quarter, where the Wildcats shot the ball at a 47 percent rate. Eight of their 17 makes came in that quarter.
Iowa relied on its defense in what turned out to be a low-scoring, scrappy affair.
“They were able to come back in the second quarter, but I think down the stretch, we were able to finish and keep them from coming back all the way,” Gustafson said. “I’m just proud of our grit. That’s what’s required in the game of basketball.”
But from then on, Iowa kept Northwestern’s offense in check. The Wildcats made 24 percent of their shots in the third quarter and 38 percent in the fourth.
Just like Gustafson said, it was a gritty affair – for both teams.
Iowa’s offense proved to be shaky, turning the ball over 18 times, but it made up for those giveaways with 15 takeaways.
Thanks to the Hawkeye defense, the Wildcats’ offense lacked rhythm. Consistent, fluid ball movement was not there; Northwestern only tallied 8 assists.
Northwestern entered Thursday’s contest scoring 62.4 points per game, ranking 12th in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Iowa’s scoring defense ranked 10th in the league, holding opponents to 68.7 points per game – the Hawkeyes held the Wildcats to nearly 20 points below their average.
“I think it’s the energy we bring on defense,” Makenzie Meyer said. “We know when we need to get a stop, we need to lock down. We’ve been doing a really good job of that.”