Northwestern
5-2,3-2Big Ten
Wisconsin
3-5,0-5Big Ten
Wildcats Rout Wisconsin on the Road, 80-55
1/6/2021 4:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MADISON, Wis. – No. 22 Northwestern got back in the win column with an emphatic 80-55 victory over Wisconsin on Wednesday afternoon in the Kohl Center.
Four starters found double digit-points against the Badgers. Juniors Courtney Shaw and Veronica Burton had 15 apiece, while junior Sydney Wood and senior Lindsey Pulliam followed behind with 14. Burton and Shaw also led with nine rebounds, just short of a double double for both.
This is the first time the 'Cats have scored 80 points since opening conference play against Minnesota. 23 of those points came off of turnovers, with the Wildcats also posting 17 steals. Northwestern's shooting also saw a significant bump, returning to 50% from the field and increasing to 43% from deep for a season high of seven threes.
The Wildcats and the Badgers went back and forth to open the game with neither team building a strong lead. Shaw led the way for Northwestern on offense, racking up seven points to end the quarter with a slim lead, 15-13.
Northwestern began a long 19-4 run early in the second to build a dominant 23-point lead. The 'Cats ramped things up on defense and pulled away with 11 points off turnovers. Wildcat scoring was also fueled by success from beyond the arc, highlighted by a buzzer beater from Wood, her first shot from deep this season. Sophomore Laya Hartman ended the half with a wing-three, her second of the season.
Wisconsin was outpaced by the 'Cats in the first half, with only four fastbreak points to Northwestern's 13. The Wildcats also beat the Badgers at the glass; Burton and Shaw led the way with six and seven, respectively. Those rebounds allowed the 'Cats to find 10 second chance points on the other end.
The 'Cats opened the second half with a 7-0 run. Hartman once again ended the quarter, putting a lay up away to post a new career high with six points in just seven minutes. Northwestern maintained their lead and ended the third, 62-42.
Shaw once again led the way for the 'Cats on offense in the final frame, grabbing six more points for a total of 15 to post a new career high. First-year Jasmine McWilliams had her first make from deep this season in the final minutes of the game, adding to a dominant Wildcat victory.
The Wildcats will return home to Welsh-Ryan Arena for their match-up against Iowa at 6 p.m. on Saturday, with coverage live on Big Ten Network.
