Michigan State University
Northwestern
Women's Basketball Falters at Northwestern
1/6/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2000
Evanston, Ill. - The Michigan State women's basketball team suffered a disappointing 58-55 loss to Northwestern tonight at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. With the loss, the Spartans fall to 10-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten, while the Wildcats improve to 4-8 overall and 1-1 in the league.
?We weren't ready to play and I don't know why that is,? MSU coach Karen Langeland said. ?I don't have a reason or an excuse for it. We are not going to win many ball games if we don't come ready to play every night.?
The Spartans started the game strong, racing out to a 9-0 lead to open the contest. A layup by sophomore Abby Salscheider gave MSU a 21-11 lead, its biggest advantage of the game, with 11:27 left in the half.
Northwestern stayed patient and was able to find Tami Sears for 12 first half points to go into the intermission with a 33-31 lead.
Four Spartan turnovers in the opening minutes of the second half allowed the Wildcats to take a seven point lead (43-36) at the 14:36 mark. MSU kept the game close the remainder of the way and knotted the score at 53 with 4:26 left after a pair of free throws by senior Kristen Rasmussen.
Northwestern responded with a three-pointer by Dana Leonard to go up by three and MSU could muster just two points in the last four minutes of the contest as the Wildcats hung on for the win.
?Offensively, we are getting the shots we want, we're just not putting them in,? Langeland said of MSU's 29 percent shooting from the field in the second half.
Rasmussen paced the Spartans with 22 points and eight rebounds, while senior Maxann Reese had 12 points. The MSU bench contributed just four points.
?You have to figure the starters are going to have a bad game now and then,? Langeland said. ?Tonight, Becky (Cummings) didn't have a particularly good game (10 points/6 rebounds) and no else stepped up.?
Sears led the Wildcats with 14 points, while Leonard came off the bench to score 10.
The Spartans will try to rebound when they host Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 9 at 2 p.m., at the Breslin Center.
?We have two days to recover mentally and physically,? Langeland said. ?Wisconsin is going to be very, very difficult. They are going to come ready to play because they have lost two games in the Big Ten. They are going to play hard. Wisconsin is big and talented and it's going to take our best effort to beat them.?
