Northwestern University Athletics
Thursday, November 16
Evanston, IL
7 p.m.
Northwestern
88
vs
70
Oakland
Kunaiyi-Akpanah's Career Night Leads Northwestern Past Oakland, 88-70
11/16/2017 9:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior forward Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah put forth a career effort with 27 points and 21 rebounds, as Northwestern rolled to an 88-70 win over Oakland in the home opener at historic Beardsley Gym in Evanston Township High School Thursday night.
Kunaiyi-Akpanah's is the third 20-20 game in program history, joining Julie Calahan in 1981 and Anucha Brown in 1983. Her 27 points were the most-ever in Northwestern history for a 20-20 performance.
She is the first Northwestern player to grab 20 rebounds in a game since Patricia Babcock did so in 1991.
The Nigeria native set career highs across the board with 12 made field goals on 20 attempts and three assists to go along with her scoring and rebounding performance.
Five Wildcats scored in double figures as the Wildcats matched their season-high point total from last season. Sophomore forward Abi Scheid had 15 to go along with seven assists and four rebounds, the first time Scheid has scored in double figures in back-to-back games in her young career. First years Lindsey Pulliam (14) and Jordan Hamilton (11) and senior captain Lydia Rohde (11) rounded out the balanced attack from Northwestern.
The five starters accounted for 78 of the team's 88 points.
Pulliam was sterling again in her second career game, going 5-of-12 from the field and knocking down all four of her free throw attempts. Rohde notched a career high with four assists.
Northwestern shot 54 percent (34-63) from the field and 83 percent (15-18) from the free-throw line in a second consecutive offensive onslaught to open the 2017-18 season. The Wildcats bested their 53 percent mark from the field from the season opener last Friday at Chicago State.
Kunaiyi-Akpanah recorded her second double-double in as many games, reaching 10 points and 10 rebounds in the first 13 minutes of the contest.
The 'Cats shot 69 percent from the field in the first quarter as they built a 25-12 lead after 10 minutes. The team started the second quarter on a 7-0 run and entered the half with a 49-34 advantage, the most points Northwestern has recorded in the first half since Dec. 15, 2015, when it had 56 against Alcorn State.
Oakland cut the lead to seven early in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats finished the game on a 19-8 run to move to 2-0.
Chicago's Big Ten Team next heads to Martin, Tennessee, for a 2 p.m. CT tip against UT-Martin Saturday.
Individual Notes
Team Notes
Career Highs
Season Highs
Kunaiyi-Akpanah's is the third 20-20 game in program history, joining Julie Calahan in 1981 and Anucha Brown in 1983. Her 27 points were the most-ever in Northwestern history for a 20-20 performance.
She is the first Northwestern player to grab 20 rebounds in a game since Patricia Babcock did so in 1991.
The Nigeria native set career highs across the board with 12 made field goals on 20 attempts and three assists to go along with her scoring and rebounding performance.
Five Wildcats scored in double figures as the Wildcats matched their season-high point total from last season. Sophomore forward Abi Scheid had 15 to go along with seven assists and four rebounds, the first time Scheid has scored in double figures in back-to-back games in her young career. First years Lindsey Pulliam (14) and Jordan Hamilton (11) and senior captain Lydia Rohde (11) rounded out the balanced attack from Northwestern.
The five starters accounted for 78 of the team's 88 points.
Pulliam was sterling again in her second career game, going 5-of-12 from the field and knocking down all four of her free throw attempts. Rohde notched a career high with four assists.
Northwestern shot 54 percent (34-63) from the field and 83 percent (15-18) from the free-throw line in a second consecutive offensive onslaught to open the 2017-18 season. The Wildcats bested their 53 percent mark from the field from the season opener last Friday at Chicago State.
Kunaiyi-Akpanah recorded her second double-double in as many games, reaching 10 points and 10 rebounds in the first 13 minutes of the contest.
The 'Cats shot 69 percent from the field in the first quarter as they built a 25-12 lead after 10 minutes. The team started the second quarter on a 7-0 run and entered the half with a 49-34 advantage, the most points Northwestern has recorded in the first half since Dec. 15, 2015, when it had 56 against Alcorn State.
Oakland cut the lead to seven early in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats finished the game on a 19-8 run to move to 2-0.
Chicago's Big Ten Team next heads to Martin, Tennessee, for a 2 p.m. CT tip against UT-Martin Saturday.
Individual Notes
- Junior forward Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah posted Northwestern's third 20-20 game in program history and the first since Anucha Browne went off for 26 points and 20 rebounds in 1983.
- Her 27 points scored were the most in NU history in a 20-20 game.
- Finished the game with 21 rebounds … The last time a Wildcat finished with 20-plus rebounds was in 1991, when Patricia Babcock played Texas A&M and finished with 20.
- Recorded 13 rebounds in the first half … The highest total since Nia Coffey had 13 in the first two quarters against Penn State on Feb. 5, 2017.
- Had Northwestern's first seven rebounds of the game, all in the first quarter.
- Recorded her her second double-double of the season in as many games.
- She reached it with 10 points and 11 rebounds just 12 minutes into the contest.
- Led the team with a plus-minus of +26.
- Senior guard Lydia Rohde finished with 11 points, a season high and the most since she scored 11 against Oral Roberts (Nov. 13, 2016).
- Sophomore forward Abi Scheid reached double figures in points for the second straight game with 15, the first time in her career she has done so in consecutive games.
- First year guard Lindsey Pulliam played 32 minutes for Northwestern and did not commit a single turnover … Pulliam and First year guard Jordan Hamilton combined for 69 minutes, and only committed one combined turnover … Hamilton accumulated four of the team's five blocks.
Team Notes
- Twenty-five first quarter points is the most Northwestern has scored since scoring 28 against Ohio State on 1/3/17.
- Chicago's Big Ten Team finished the first half with 49 points, the most in the first 20 minutes since racking up 56 against Alcorn State on Dec. 15, 2015.
- Eighty-eight points matches the team's 2016-17 high, which the 'Cats scored twice last year against Evansville (Nov. 27, 2016) and UIC (Dec. 13, 2016). That total is the highest since putting up 106 against Minnesota on Feb. 7, 2016.
Career Highs
- Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah: Points (27), Rebounds (21), Assists (3), FGM (12), FGA (20), FTM (3)
- Lydia Rohde: Assists (4)
- Abi Scheid: Assists (7), 3PTA (5), FTM (4), FTA (4),
- Jordan Hamilton: FGM: (5), 3PTM (1), Rebounds (2), Blocked Shots (4), Steals (2), Points (11)
- Oceana Hamilton: FTM (3), FTA (4), Assists (1), Steals (2), Points (5)
Season Highs
- Lydia Rohde: FGM (4), 3PTM (3), Rebounds (4), Points (11)
- Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah: Points (27), Rebounds (21), Assists (3), FGM (12), FGA (20), FTM (3), FTA (4)
- Oceana Hamilton: Steals (2)
- Abi Scheid: 3PTM (1), Points (15), FGA (11) FTM (4), FTA (4), Assists (7)
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