Cats' slide continues as they fall to Ohio State

EVANSTON-- Northwestern had a great opportunity for an upset, playing at home against a reeling Ohio State team. But poor shooting and a lack of offense caught up to the Wildcats in a 71-59 loss to the Buckeyes.

The loss was the fourth in a row for Northwestern, and its ninth setback in the last 10 games. Ohio State, which was ranked in the Top 5 earlier in the season, won for just the second time in its last eight contests.

The Cats started the game strong with their defense setting the tone. They forced OSU into a shot-clock violation and did not give up a point until the 15:43 mark. Miller Kopp’s shooting provided most of the offense as NU commandeered a 13-4 lead with 13:24 left in the first half.

But the Buckeyes came right back and hit three 3-point shots during a run that saw them climb back to tie the game 19-19 with 7:09 left.

NU’s offense started to struggle as no opportunity came easy. On the other end, OSU used the pick-and-roll to knife through the Cats' defense and find open 3-point shots. The Buckeye’s lead ballooned to 36-26 lead with 2:29 left in the half.

Boo Buie and Kopp provided a late surge of 3-pointers to bring NU within 38-35 at halftime.

The second half started with NU clawing its way to a three-point lead. But turnovers and defensive lapses in transition cost the Wildcats as Ohio State capitalized with four straight layups and an open 3 to take a 55-46 lead with 11:23 left in the game.

The Cats battled down the stretch, making small runs on occasions, but they never saw themselves get within striking distance of the lead. Their shots were not falling in the second half, as they went 8 for 30 from the field after shooting 50% in the first half.

Miller Kopp led Northwestern with a game-high 20 points, while Pat Spencer added 13. D.J. Carton led four Ohio State scorers in double figures with 17 points.

Here are our takeaways from the loss that dropped Northwestern to 6-13 overall and just 1-8 in the Big Ten:

As Kopp goes, so goes NU: Kopp led Northwestern in scoring with 20 points, and he added three rebounds. It seemed as though the Wildcats were at their best when they were finding Kopp open looks off screens and in transition.

Kopp did his part, going 8-for-17 from the field, even as OSU was focusing its entire game plan on not letting him get open shots. He knocked down 3 of 9 3-pointers.

Kopp’s game would serve best as a second or third option on a championship-level team. But as the focal point, Kopp doesn't quite have the firepower to last throughout an entire game. He had 15 points in the first half, but just five in the second.

Pete Nance is not meeting expectations: Nance struggled tonight, going 2-for-7 from the field and 1-of-4 from the free-throw line. His disappointing six-point, six-rebound performance has become a trend of the sophomore since returning from his one-game suspension.

Nance has tons of potential, but thus far he is showing that there is still a lot of hard work to come before he reaches it.

Buie still coming back from injury: Buie had 10 points on just 3-for-12 shooting to go along with two assists. At times he forced the ball too much and recorded three turnovers.

In only his second game since recovering from a stress fracture in his leg, it was clear the freshman will need some time to get back to the level he was at before the injury.

The bench depth is non-existent: Aside from Buie, the bench provided zero points, as the Buckeyes' bench outscored Northwestern's 39-10.

Part of the reason was that Robbie Beran saw only seven minutes of game time. Head coach Chris Collins said his freshman forward was playing with an inury.

“Give credit to Robbie, who played on one leg today... he picked up a knock in practice the other day," he said.

Collins gets emotional talking about Kobe: Collins had some poignant words to say about the tragic death on Sunday of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant at age 41. Collins new Kobe since he was a kid, as both Collins' father, Doug, and Bryant's father, Joe, were teammates on the Philadelphia 76ers.

"Obviously I have a lot of history with Kobe going back to when he was a little kid. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family… it's been a hard day and it puts everything into perspective… every minute is precious, man… every minute is precious.”.

Collins continued, “Our dads were teammates in Philadelphia, I've known him since he was one. Him and my sister are four months apart. I remember when I was four years old, my mom and Kobe’s mom being pregnant at the same time…

"I had a chance to reconnect when I coached him on the (U.S.) national team for three different teams… Forget about basketball when you travel together and share meals together and talk about family and kids. It's just real sad man, its real sad.”