Wildcats Bounce Badgers in Overtime Of Big Ten Tournament Opener

3/2/2016 3:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – What a way to start the 2016 Big Ten Tournament.

Northwestern is moving on to Day Two in Indianapolis after a 76-72 overtime win over Wisconsin in the first round of the conference tournament.

The 12th-seeded Wildcats play No. 5-seed Minnesota tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. CT with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line.

Chicago's Big Ten Team used a balanced offensive attack to push past Wisconsin. Christen Inman and Nia Coffey tied for a team-high 18 points, while Ashley Deary chipped in 16 of her own. Inman just missed a double-double with nine rebounds, while Deary grabbed eight and dished out three assists.

Coffey grabbed her 306th rebound of the season during the third quarter to set a new single-season program record.

She has also scored in double figures in 46 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in Northwestern history.

Northwestern had to play overtime without Coffey, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter. Strong efforts from Jordan Hankins, Lydia Rohde and Amber Jamison helped pace the Wildcats.

The 'Cats grabbed their first lead of the second half with 6:33 to go in the fourth quarter and after trading points through the rest of the frame, an Inman layup with just 22 seconds remaining tied the game at 67 and sent it to overtime.

Northwestern never trailed in the extra session.

The first 20 minutes of action featured 12 lead changes, before Wisconsin's Michala Johnson hit a jumper with 40 seconds left in the second quarter to send the Badgers into the locker room with a 33-32 lead.

Inman scored 11 of her 18 points in the first half, while Hankins provided a spark off the bench by knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to chip in six points.

Wisconsin extended the lead to four after three, but Northwestern chipped away in the fourth, and after trailing by as much as six, came back to tie things up.

The Northwestern-Minnesota game will begin 25 minutes after Thursday's opener between Iowa and Michigan. That game begins at 11 a.m. CT.