Feb. 18, 2008

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Three Wildcats scored in double figures, but it was not enough as Northwestern fell to Wisconsin 79-65 in front of a boisterous pink-clad audience of 1,300 at Welsh-Ryan Arena Monday evening. Amy Jaeschke (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier), Meshia Reed (Country Club Hills, Ill,/Stockbridge (Ga.)) and Nadia Bibbs (Chicago, Ill./Hillcrest) all chipped in double digits as the Wildcats participated in Think Pink, the WBCA's global initiative to spread breast cancer awareness.

"The focus and effort was there today," head coach Beth Combs said. "We should be proud of our energy and the fact that we improved from last game. It's the same things that come back to get us every game and we need to continue to work to improve that."

The first half proved to be an up-tempo shoot-out as the two teams traded the lead on seven occasions and tied the score six times. The two squads raced out to a 15-15 deadlock with 13:07 remaining before Northwestern turned up the tempo, outscoring Wisconsin 8-6 until a transition layup by Ellen Jaeschke put the 'Cats ahead 27-21 with 8:25 left.

Two more buckets by Amy Jaeschke pushed Northwestern out to its largest lead of the half, 31-23, with 6:32 remaining in the frame. But Wisconsin swung the score back its way, mounting a 16-2 run over a three-minute span to take a 39-33 advantage with just over three minutes left. The Badgers went up by seven, but a jumper from Amy Jaeschke and two free throws by Reed cut the half time difference to three, 41-38.

Amy Jaeschke led the Wildcats with 16 points at the break. Combined, the two squads shot 55 percent in the first half.

Northwestern continued to battle in the second stanza, cutting Wisconsin's lead to one, 51-50, with 13:30 remaining, but that was as close as it would come. The Badgers slowly built a 10-point lead, but NU put up a fight and continually answered Wisconsin's baskets until the visitors went on an 8-0 run to go up 18 with just under two minutes left.

Jaeschke finished with 20 points, while Bibbs and Reed added 15 and 14 points, respectively. The last time three Wildcats scored in double figures was on Jan. 31 against Iowa.

The Wildcats turned in a 53-percent shooting effort on the evening.

The Wildcats are next in action Thursday, Feb. 21 as they travel east to face Michigan State. Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT.