The Northwestern Wildcats are off to a solid win streak to start the season. Women’s basketball defeated Western Kentucky 61-54 on the road and returned home Sunday to defeat Chicago State in a close 75-73 win. Head coach Joe McKeown wasn’t able to make the road trip to Western Kentucky due to personal reasons, but returned to the bench Sunday afternoon and coached the team out of a first half 46-37 hole to their fourth win of the season.
Hero of the game: Amy Jaeschke
How far back in Northwestern history do you have to go to see a performance that matched Amy Jaeschke in the ‘Cats victory against Chicago state? Thirteen years to be exact. Jaeschke recorded the first triple double the program has seen since 1997. With 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks, she helped the ‘Cats eek out another win to continue their 4-0 victory streak.
“When you have a weapon like Amy, you have to get her the ball,” head coach Joe McKeown said after the game. “To get a triple-double is awesome. It means she is able to do so many things on the court.”
The ‘Cats really started to rely on Jaeschke’s defensive pressure in the second half after a poor start to the game. Her six blocks kept Chicago State from starting a run and it was a primary reason the ‘Cats were able to score 13 unanswered points with seven minutes left.
“The whole energy in the gym changed during that run,” Jaeschke said. “It got us pumped to dig down deep and get after them on D.”
Not only was Jaeschke a dominant force under the opponent’s rim, she shot 12 for 14 in the field. That type of accuracy really deflated Chicago State late in the game.
Producing one of the rarest stats in basketball, Jaeschke’s triple-double saved the ‘Cats from what would have been a devastating non-conference loss.
Stat of the game: Jaeschke’s ten blocks
Jaeschke didn’t just get the first triple-double the school has seen in 13 years, she made history. Her ten blocks were the most made by an NU player in a single game. She had previously held the record at nine.
This stat reflects Jaeschke’s ability to put pressure on the ball without drawing the foul. In fact, she had no personal fouls the entire game. That is pretty amazing considering the usually strict calls refs make on physical centers underneath the rim. Her height may give her a huge advantage, but that still doesn’t explain Jaeschke’s superb body control. She stays physical enough to put pressure on the ball, but without drawing the foul. That is a mark of an excellent center.
In an otherwise mediocre defensive game, Jaeschke stopped the inside shot, keeping Chicago State to only 10 points inside the paint during the second half.
Last year Jaeschke led the Big Ten with 3.2 blocks per game. A couple more performances like today should not only ensure that record again, but keep the ‘Cats undefeated season alive.
Turning Point
Meshia Reid only had five points in the game, but the senior made them count. In a game where Northwestern trailed by as many as 15, the ‘Cats were within six late in the second half. It looked like they might not complete the comeback until Reid knocked down a clutch three-pointer with 7:12 remaining. She followed that up with a nice baseline drive to cut Chicago State’s lead to 1.
“She’d been struggling a little bit, but the shots she made really deflated Chicago State,” head coach Joe McKeown said. “I thought they were momentum changers.”
Reid’s buckets were key in a 13-0 run that gave Northwestern a 66-61 advantage en route to their 75-73 win. The lead was the first since the first minute of the game.
“She really sparked the offense for us. The whole energy in the gym changed,” senior Amy Jaeschke said.
What to Improve
The two main problems that Northwestern had against Chicago State were rebounding and turnovers. The Wildcats got out-rebounded by five and turned the ball over 18 times. Those statistics led to Chicago State attempting 16 more shots than NU. The ‘Cats let the Cougars get 21 offensive rebounds, which doesn’t bode well when Northwestern has to play bigger teams.
“We really have to address our rebounding issues before we get into the Big Ten or else we’re going to have some problems,” said McKeown.
Even though Northwestern played nine of their ten players, they only got big offensive performances from Beth Marshall and Amy Jaeschke. Both players scored 20 points for the ‘Cats, but nobody else scored more than twelve. Head Coach Joe McKeown doesn’t want to have to play two of his seniors that much in the non-conference.
“Moving forward, everybody’s got to contribute,” McKeown said. “We can’t let [Beth] Marshall and [Amy] Jaeschke log that many minutes if we’re going to be good.”