Monday, December 14
Evanston, Ill.
8 p.m. CT
Northwestern
2-0,1-0Big Ten
80
vs
51
Minnesota
1-3,0-2Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Minnesota
14
14
7
16
51
Northwestern
25
18
17
20
80
No. 16 Northwestern Steamrolls Minnesota, 80-51, to Open Big Ten Play
12/14/2020 10:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. - No. 16 Northwestern defeated Minnesota, 80-51, on Monday night to win its Big Ten opener for the second-straight year. The win takes the Wildcats to 2-0 overall to start the season.
Career nights from juniors Veronica Burton and Sydney Wood led the way in Northwestern's scoring outburst. Burton finished with a team-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting and a career-high 10 assists, the most in a game for the 'Cats since Ashley Deary had 14 on Jan. 3, 2017. It marked the second-ever double-double of Burton's career. Wood, meanwhile, scored a career-high 19 points while adding eight rebounds.
Four Wildcats finished the game in double-digit scoring as Lindsey Pulliam and Courtney Shaw also recorded 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Shaw opened scoring with a lay-up from under the basket on Northwestern's first possession. Minnesota responded with a three-pointer to take the lead, but the Golden Gophers never led again as Northwestern immediately ripped off a 17-0 scoring run to build an unassailable lead. The Wildcats' suffocating defense and efficient offense got it done early, forcing five turnovers and five missed shots over that run while Northwestern scored on all nine of its first possessions.
Northwestern took a 43-28 lead into the half, dominating inside and in transition. Chicago's Big Ten Team forced 13 first-half turnovers and produced 16 points off of them, while outscoring Minnesota 20-2 in the paint and 14-2 on fast breaks.
Burton in particular shined in the first half, leading the team with 16 points on 100% shooting from the floor and the free throw line to go along with seven assists and three steals.
The Wildcats quickly built a 20-point lead coming out of the half behind scoring from Pulliam and Shaw and continued to pull away as Minnesota was never able to cut the deficit below 20 points after the 6:37 mark in the third quarter. The 'Cats continued their first half trends to outscore Minnesota 46-16 in the paint and 22-2 on fast breaks over the full 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, the blizzard defense shut Minnesota's offense down, holding the Golden Gophers to 32% shooting from the floor with 41 missed shots and 21 turnovers.
Northwestern will return later this week to face Purdue on the road Thursday Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. CT live on Big Ten Network.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Career nights from juniors Veronica Burton and Sydney Wood led the way in Northwestern's scoring outburst. Burton finished with a team-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting and a career-high 10 assists, the most in a game for the 'Cats since Ashley Deary had 14 on Jan. 3, 2017. It marked the second-ever double-double of Burton's career. Wood, meanwhile, scored a career-high 19 points while adding eight rebounds.
Four Wildcats finished the game in double-digit scoring as Lindsey Pulliam and Courtney Shaw also recorded 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Shaw opened scoring with a lay-up from under the basket on Northwestern's first possession. Minnesota responded with a three-pointer to take the lead, but the Golden Gophers never led again as Northwestern immediately ripped off a 17-0 scoring run to build an unassailable lead. The Wildcats' suffocating defense and efficient offense got it done early, forcing five turnovers and five missed shots over that run while Northwestern scored on all nine of its first possessions.
Northwestern took a 43-28 lead into the half, dominating inside and in transition. Chicago's Big Ten Team forced 13 first-half turnovers and produced 16 points off of them, while outscoring Minnesota 20-2 in the paint and 14-2 on fast breaks.
Burton in particular shined in the first half, leading the team with 16 points on 100% shooting from the floor and the free throw line to go along with seven assists and three steals.
The Wildcats quickly built a 20-point lead coming out of the half behind scoring from Pulliam and Shaw and continued to pull away as Minnesota was never able to cut the deficit below 20 points after the 6:37 mark in the third quarter. The 'Cats continued their first half trends to outscore Minnesota 46-16 in the paint and 22-2 on fast breaks over the full 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, the blizzard defense shut Minnesota's offense down, holding the Golden Gophers to 32% shooting from the floor with 41 missed shots and 21 turnovers.
Northwestern will return later this week to face Purdue on the road Thursday Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. CT live on Big Ten Network.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Team Stats
MINN
NU
FG%
.317
.542
3FG%
.281
.250
FT%
.500
.800
RB
33
36
TO
21
13
STL
7
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
19
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
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