For the second year in a row, the Northwestern women’s basketball team made a postseason run in the WNIT, making it to the second round. All-Big Ten senior and WNBA prospect Amy Jaeschke, along with seniors Beth Marshall and Meshia Reed, took to the hardwood for the last time wearing purple and white in a heartbreaking 72-70 overtime loss to Alabama. While Coach McKeown’s crew prepares for next year, let’s take a look back at this past season’s five most memorable moments.
5. Victory over LSU in non-conference play
The ‘Cats remained relatively untested as they took to the hardwood in their second game of the season against LSU on Nov. 14. Overcoming early season jitters, the starting five managed to pull off the 71-62 upset, setting a standard for the rest of the season. This game garnered the ‘Cats votes on the AP poll and proved that they could play with perennial powerhouses.
4. Amy Jaeschke’s buzzer beater against Illinois
The second half of January was not kind to the ‘Cats as they put four Big Ten losses in a row on their tab. On Feb. 3 within the confines of Welsh Ryan, the Illini threatened to extend that losing streak to 5, holding on to a 1 point lead with under 5 seconds left. The ‘Cats struggled to finish tight games down the stretch all season. With 15 lead changes, this game looked like yet another near miss. That was until Jaeschke put up a fadeaway banked jumper with 1.4 seconds left for the victory. This home win injected NU with some confidence that followed them towards their matchup against Ohio State in the next game.
3. Jaeschke’s triple-double against Chicago State
A triple-double is rare. A triple-double off of points, rebounds and blocks is almost unheard of. Jaeschke used her size to garner 10 blocks in the paint, to notch the program’s first triple-double since 1997. With 30 points and 10 rebounds, this statistic just goes to show how sorely Jaeschke will be missed on both ends of the court next year.
If people thought Northwestern’s first home win against the Buckeyes since 1999 was a fluke, the ‘Cats proved them wrong by repeating the feat on hostile turf in Columbus. To put this achievement in perspective, the last time the ‘Cats twice took down a team that was ranked No. 7 at the beginning of the season, they made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament.
1. Getting the first Big Ten tourney win in a decade
Northwestern historically has never done well in Indianapolis. Sure, under other circumstances, this 53-44 victory against a weak Minnesota squad would not appear remarkable, but this year it shifted a huge weight off NU’s back. Next year, they won’t come into the tourney worried about a losing streak. Instead, they can focus on pushing past the first round and vying for a bid at a Big Ten Championship.
Looking ahead, the ‘Cats can’t dwell on the loss of their seniors. Rising junior Kendall Hackney along with rising seniors Brittany Orban and Allison Mocci will have to take over leadership positions to help this relatively inexperienced team grow up fast. Jaeschke will be a huge lose in the paint but 6 foot 7 inch transfer Anna Cole will give the ‘Cats a rare height advantage that should help them on both ends of the court. With new eligible transfers, a team that hasn’t seen a lot of minutes and a veteran coach, the ‘Cats have unknown yet promising potential.