Wildcats Beat Wisconsin, 68-63, in Big Ten Tournament Opener

2/28/2018 2:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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INDIANAPOLIS — No. 12 seed Northwestern opened the 2018 Big Ten Tournament with a nail-biting victory over Wisconsin, topping No. 13 seed Wisconsin, 68-63, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

With the Wildcats up by three points with 17 seconds left, Wisconsin's Cayla McMorris ran into the paint to convert a lay-up, but first year guard Jordan Hamilton took a charge to give the Wildcats the possession with slightly over a second remaining in the game. Sophomore forward Bryana Hopkins converted two late free throws to give the Wildcats the five-point winning advantage.

With the win, NU will face No. 5 seed Iowa in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. The contest will take place at 1:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 1.

First year guard Lindsey Pulliam paced the Wildcats with a stellar tournament debut, notching 24 points on nine-of-15 shooting. Sophomore forwards Abi Scheid and Bryana Hopkins joined her in double-digits, posting 14 points and 11 points, respectively.

Junior forward Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah came one rebound away from notching her 19th double-double of this season, which would be the most in a single-season in Northwestern history. She had 13 points and nine rebounds.

The Abuja, Nigeria, native now needs four more rebounds to enter the top-10 list for rebounds in a single-season in Big Ten history.

Northwestern has now won its Big Ten Tournament opener for four-straight seasons and has won nine of its last 10 against Wisconsin, dating back to 2013.

The Wildcats' defense was electric to start the contest, holding Wisconsin to a one-for-13 clip (8 percent) to start the contest. The Badgers would accumulate some late-quarter points, but NU led after the first period, 12-10.

Pulliam was the first 'Cat to net double-digit points, notching 10 with 5:58 remaining in the first half. She finished the first 20 minutes with a team-high 18 points on seven-of-nine shooting as the Wildcats led the Badgers, 31-22, entering halftime.

In the first half, Chicago's Big Ten Team outshot the Badgers, 52 percent to 24 percent. Wisconsin only mustered eight field goals on 33 attempts in the first 20 minutes.

The Wildcats continued to put their feet on the gas in the third quarter, outscoring the Badgers, 22-14. A late-game run sealed the victory for the Wildcats.

Team Notes

The Wildcats have won their Big Ten Tournament opener for four-straight years … The last time Northwestern was the No. 12 seed in the Tournament, the 'Cats matched up against No. 13 Wisconsin in the first round … The Wildcats won, 76-72, and proceeded to advance all the way to the semifinals.
Northwestern has won nine of its last 10 against Wisconsin dating back to 2013.
With the win, Northwestern sealed the season series over Wisconsin, winning two of three of the matchups.
The Wildcats outrebounded the Badgers, 33-31.

Individual Notes

First year guard Lindsey Pulliam scored 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting … Her team-high sixth game of 20-plus points.
Sophomore forward Abi Scheid posted double-digit points for the fourth time in her last five games … she is tied for the team lead with 23 games of 10-plus points.

Career Highs

Lindsey Pulliam: FTM (6; tied)

Big Ten Tournament Highs

Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah: Points (13), FGM (6), FGA (9), Blocks (2; tied), Steals (1; tied), Minutes (25; tied)
Abbie Wolf: Rebounds (5), Minutes (12)
Byrdy Galernik: FGM (1), FGA (2), Rebounds (1), Points (2), Minutes (11)
Abi Scheid: Points (14), FGM (5), FGA (10), 3FGM (2), 3FGA (3), FTM (2), FTM (4), Rebounds (6), Assist (2), Blocks (1), Minutes (25)
Oceana Hamilton: Rebounds (1; tied), Minutes (2; tied)