EVANSTON, Ill.- Senior Amanda Walker led the team in scoring for the third straight game, however the Western Illinois women's basketball team couldn't over come Northwestern's strong second half and fell 71-54 in the first game of The Doubletree White Invitational at the Welsh-Ryan Arena.

The Westerwinds (1-4) were within two points after connecting on the first basket of the second half after an up-and-under move from sophomore Lindsey Wutt that produced a lay-up with 19:37 left on the clock.

The Wildcats (2-3) answered with a 10-2 run that gave them a 10-point lead with 15:37 left in the second half. The run was ended 30 seconds later after a three-pointer from junior Katy Clark that brought the Northwestern lead to seven.

Back-to-back three-point plays from Kristin Cartwright and Meshia Reed gave the Wildcats a 16-point lead at 56-40 with 9:14 left in the game. Western would answer with back-to-back lay-ups from sophomore Anne Borgertpoepping to cut the lead to 12, the closest they would get the rest of the game.

A jumper from Amy Jaeschke gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the game of 22 points at 71-49 with 2:51 left to play. The Westerwinds would end the game on a 5-0 run, capped off by a three-pointer from Walker.

After trailing 5-4 in the beginning of the game, the Westerwinds rallied off six straight points after a lay-up from Wutt, a Walker three-pointer and a lay-up from freshman Lyndi Thorman gave Western a 10-4 lead with 14:43 left in the opening period.

Western tied its largest lead of the game of six points after junior Jordon O'Brien connected from beyond the arc with 9:35 left in the opening period.

The Wildcats answered with a 12-0 run, capped off by a Reed lay-up with 6:04 left to give Northwestern a 26-20. A Borgertpoepping lay-up with 2:05 tied the game back up at 28-28. The Wildcats closed the opening half with back-to-back lay-ups from Jaeschke gave Northwestern a four-point lead heading into the break.

Walker led the way for the Westerwinds with 12 points, while Wutt chipped in with 11 of her own. O'Brien tied a career-high in rebounds with six, leading the team in the process. The Parsons, Kan., native also had seven points and four assists on the game.

Western concludes The Doubletree White Invitational, along with its four-game road trip, with a 1 p.m. game against Holy Cross, Saturday, November 30, at the Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Postgame Notes
For the first time since their opening win against Robert Morris, the Westerwinds committed less turnovers than their opponents. They only committed 10 turnovers to Northwestern's 14, including just two Western turnovers in the second half.

The Wildcats shot 52.9 percent (27-51) from the floor in the game, including 62.5 percent (15-24) in the second half.

Borgertpoepping tied a career high in points with six, while setting a new career record in assists with 4.

Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Leslie Crane
Opening statement
"Overall, I thought we played harder and better from the tip to the horn than what we did against Northern Iowa. This was more like the team that came out against Missouri. I actually felt as if we played better in the first half today than we did in the first half against Missouri. We kept our turnovers down and did a good job of rebounding, only allowing them six offensive rebounds."

On the second half
"We just shot the ball poorly in the second half. Their strength and size really pushed us further and further outside. We got flustered and unorganized and it was hard to get good looks at the basket."