Wildcats Take Down No. 15 Michigan State, 70-62

1/3/2019 9:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern Wildcats (9-5, 2-1 Big Ten) earned their first win of 2019 as they took down No. 15 Michigan State (11-2, 1-1 Big Ten), 70-65 inside Welsh-Ryan Arena Thursday night. Lindsey Pulliam, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah and Abi Scheid contributed double-digit points.

It was a back and forth battle in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The contest saw six ties and 15 lead changes but Northwestern held the number one ranked scoring offense in the Big Ten to just nine points in the fourth quarter. Both teams finished right above the 40.0 percent mark in shooting,

The Northwestern captains led the way in scoring. Lindsey Pulliam extended her double-digit scoring streak to 13 consecutive games. She tied her season high with nine field goals and finished the contest with 18 points.

Senior Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah recorded with her seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Abi Scheid continued her hot scoring streak with 13, shooting 3-for-5 beyond the arc.

Jordan Hamilton dished out a season high six assists and knocked down the go-ahead three pointer with five minutes to go to secure the lead for the Wildcats the rest of the fourth quarter.

The Wildcat defense continues to overwhelm its opponents as they scored 19 points off of 19 Spartan turnovers. In the three minutes of the game, the Spartans made just one of their ten field goal attempts and also found themselves in foul trouble. Northwestern capitalized on free throws, shooting 75.0 percent from the charity stripe.

Following tonight's game, Northwestern moves to 2-1 in conference play and holds an overall record of 9-5. The Wildcats will head to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. CT.

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