Northwestern University Athletics
One Play at A Time: Pulliam and the Wildcats Finding Their Stride
1/24/2019 12:26:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Emily Iannaconi
NUsports.com Insider
EVANSTON, Ill. - The clock on the big screen in Welsh-Ryan Arena ticked down to 17 seconds, oblivious to the tension on the court below.
Sophomore Lindsey Pulliam drove through traffic, pulled back and watched her shot sink through the net to pull Northwestern within one point of the Purdue Boilermakers on Jan. 13 – the lowest margin between the two teams since tip off.
The 'Cats forced a turnover on the following in-bound play when the ball went off Purdue's Karissa McLaughlin's hand, giving Northwestern the ball with 16 seconds left. Head coach Joe McKeown went to his top scorer and team captain – Pulliam– once again.
The sophomore's jumper sailed toward the basket and bounced off the rim as the final buzzer rang through the arena. The Wildcats dropped to Purdue, 57-54.
"Short memory," Pulliam said right after the game. "It didn't go down but next game...we're going to come out hard and aggressive and I'll shoot it again. I'll shoot that shot 10 times out of 10."
Hard and aggressive is exactly how Northwestern played against No. 25 Indiana on Jan. 16 in Bloomington. Coming off two straight losses by three points or less, the Wildcats put the past behind them, recognizing the high stakes in the conference matchup.
Opening the game on an 8-0 run, Northwestern had control of the lead from start to finish. Pulliam dropped a season high 27 points in the team's first Big Ten road win of the season – silencing any doubters from the games before.
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— #B1GCats Women's Basketball (@nuwbball) January 17, 2019
The 75-69 victory over the Hoosiers marked Northwestern's third victory over a ranked opponent this season. The team has been building momentum since, especially after a dominating 72-46 win over Wisconsin at home on Jan. 20 – marking the fourth time this season that the 'Cats have defeated an opponent by at least 26 points.
The last time the 'Cats posted three wins over ranked opponents in the regular season was when they defeated top-ranked DePaul, Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers during the 2014-2015 campaign – a season that many call "unforgettable" as the 'Cats advanced all the way to the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
"One of our goals in the beginning of the season was to just push each other to be better than the day before," Pulliam said. "There's nothing you can do to get the past back. All you can do is think about the next play because that's all you have in this game."
"Everybody [in this league] is really good," McKeown said after the Wisconsin game. "It's just about us and how we prepare for every game. We still have work to do, but I have all the confidence in the world in this team."
That confidence comes from Northwestern's overpowering defeat of No. 21 Duke, 84-58 in the home opener at the new Welsh-Ryan Arena on Nov. 11 and the 'Cats 70-62 win over No. 15 Michigan State in Evanston on Jan. 3. The road win over No. 25 Indiana only solidified McKeown's trust in his team.
If history repeats itself, the contest against the Hoosiers held particular significance for a program that has found itself in the WNIT or the NCAA Tournament after beating at least three ranked teams in a season. McKeown knows that win or lose, his team has to stay grounded.
"We are a very unselfish team," McKeown said after defeating Wisconsin. "Our message is that it's about us and how we prepare. The three games we lost, we could have won and a couple of the games we won, we could have lost."
Pulliam says the 'Cats have embraced people's misperception of them. With games against Nebraska and Illinois – both on the road – in the upcoming week, Northwestern is focused on only what's in front of them.
"We have a chip on our shoulder because there are people who don't believe we can be top contenders in the Big Ten," said Pulliam before the Indiana game. "We know what a great team we can be so it's easy to play with an intensity every game. We trust each other and that's all that matters."
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