Northwestern lost because they couldn't score, they got out rebounded and were out shot at the free-throw line. If that all sounds familiar, it's because this is the 11th straight time this has happened.
The Cats dropped their 11th straight game, on the road to No. 25 Rutgers, 64-50, on Saturday night.
Northwestern couldn't score, which isn't a surprise, but this was the team's lowest scoring output of the season. Anthony Gaines scored 11 in the first half and that was good enough to tie for the team-high, with Chase Audige. No other Wildcat scored in double-figures.
The Scarlet Knights were led by Jacob Young's 15 off the bench. Ron Harper Jr. added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Myles Johnson also had a double-double, with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Here are our takeaways from the loss that dropped Northwestern record to 6-12 overall and 3-11 in the Big Ten:
Gaines had his best game of the season: Gaines did everything he could to prevent the losing streak from matching his jersey number, but it wasn't enough.
The redshirt junior scored 11 points in the first half, including a pair of three-pointers, not his strong suit. He didn't score in the second half, but still played good defense and hustled and wound up with six rebounds.
The move into the starting lineup seems to have worked for Gaines, as he has been consistent for the last three games.
Hot start wasted again: Northwestern came out and grabbed a 14-4 lead, the second straight game in which they seized an early advantage. But Rutgers then went on a 14-2 run to capture the edge, and Northwestern never led again.
At this point, Northwestern taking the lead seems to indicate that a scoring drought will soon follow. The Wildcats had a seven-plus minute dry spell to fall behind.
This one wasn't quite as bad as the 14-point first half lead Northwestern wasted last time out against Indiana, but it still continued the trend of Northwestern not being able to hang onto a lead.
NU couldn't shoot: Getting the ball to go in the hoop seemed like rocket science for the Wildcats against Rutgers. They shot 32.7% from the field and made just 18 field goals in the game, which works out to less than one every two minutes.
Granted Rutgers is a good defensive team, but Northwestern just flat-out missed several open looks, too. The Wildcats hit just seven of 27 shots (25.9%) in the second half. Three of the Wildcats' leading scorers -- Miller Kopp, Pete Nance and Ryan Young -- made just eight of 28 shots.
This loss was a foregone conclusion: This game was a big ask for the Wildcats and looked like a loss before the ball was tipped.
The Cats were riding a 10-game losing streak coming into a road game against a team that not only beat them just two weeks ago in Evanston, but is also very good at home. They were also coming off a loss where they squandered two late leads in a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Indiana. They were also playing without Ty Berry, whose father's funeral was today back in Kansas.
It was a tough situation for Northwestern to try and come into and get a win. And they didn't.
No end in sight: Northwestern only has six more games in which to snap this schneid, counting the Big Ten Tournament.
With No. 6 Illinois, No. 21 Wisconsin and a road game at Minnesota up next, the losing streak will almost certainly hit 14 games, which would be the longest of coach Chris Collins' tenure. Then, the Wildcats face a Maryland team that's 4-9 in the league, and then a home regular-season finale against Nebraska in a game that Northwestern will be favored. Hopefully, they'll break through in one of those two games.
