Evanston, Ill. – Tear’a Laudermill scored 16 of her 20 points in the second-half to help No. 21 Nebraska cut a 24-point deficit to six with over two minutes left before falling 59-51 to the Northwestern women’s basketball team at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday.
With the loss, Nebraska slipped to 18-8 overall and 8-7 in the Big Ten, while Northwestern improved to 20-6 overall and 10-5 in the conference.
The Huskers, who shot just 10.7 percent (3-28) from the floor in the first half, fell behind 43-19 with just over 14 minutes left in the game, before going on an 8-0 run to cut the margin to 43-27 after back-to-back baskets by Laudermill with 9:42 left.
Karly Roser, who finished with 10 points for Northwestern, stopped the run with a three-pointer with two seconds on the shot clock at the 8:50 mark. However, it was Northwestern’s only field goal in a 10-minute stretch. Roser added nine rebounds and five assists.
Allie Havers, who scored four points and grabbed for rebounds for the Big Red, started a new run with a jumper with 7:02 left before Laudermill and freshman Natalie Romeo hit three straight three-pointers to cap an 11-0 surge in just 3:03 to cut the Wildcat margin to eight points at 46-38 with 3:59 left. Romeo finished with 13 points, including three second-half threes.
After a Northwestern timeout, Ashley Deary hit a jumper for the Wildcats, before Laudermill answered with four straight points to trim the lead to 48-42 with 2:04 remaining – the smallest Wildcat lead since scoring the first eight points of the game.
The Big Red could get no closer, but remained within six points at 50-44 and 53-47 after Laudermill’s second and final three with 49 seconds left.
Northwestern hit six straight free throws down the stretch to seal its 20th win, giving the Wildcats their first 20-win season since 1995-96.
Nia Coffey led the Wildcats with 17 points and 14 rebounds for her sixth consecutive double-double. Deary finished with 10 points, five assists and three steals.
The Huskers struggled through one of the worst shooting halves in school history, knocking down just 3-of-28 shots in the first half, including 0-for-9 threes. Despite their shooting woes, the Huskers outscored Northwestern 6-4 in the final seven minutes of the half to trail 29-12.
Nebraska finished just 29.4 percent (19-65) from the floor and 21.7 percent (5-23) from three-point range, but outshot the Wildcats in the second half. The Huskers hit 43.2 percent (16-37) after halftime, including 5-of-14 threes. The Big Red also went 8-for-10 from the line for the game.
Northwestern hit 41.4 percent (24-58) of its shots for the game, including 31.3 percent (5-16) from long range and 6-of-9 free throws.
Nebraska outrebounded Northwestern, 46-39, including 18-9 on the offensive glass. Emily Cady managed just four points for the Big Red, but led the Huskers with 12 rebounds including seven on the offensive end. Fourteen of the Huskers’ 39 second-half points came on putbacks. The Wildcats won the turnover battle, 16-10.
Prior to tip-off, Nebraska Coach Connie Yori announced the first-team All-Big Ten point guard Rachel Theriot will undergo season-ending surgery on her left ankle on Thursday. Theriot was Nebraska’s leading scorer with 16.5 points and 5.2 assists per game. She started Nebraska’s first 21 games this season but has missed the Huskers’ last five games with the injury.
The Huskers play their final regular-season conference road game on Saturday, when they travel to Bloomington to take on Indiana. Tip-off between the Huskers and Hoosiers is set for 11 a.m. (CT) with live national television coverage by the Big Ten Network.
