Northwestern
12-5,10-5Big Ten
Wisconsin
5-15,2-15Big Ten
'Cats Cruise Over Badgers, 67-54
2/20/2021 4:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 24 Northwestern took home a dominant 67-54 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon to complete a season sweep of the Badgers.
The 'Cats set the pace of the game from the jump, pulling off 17 fastbreak points to just three from Wisconsin. They also maintained control of the ball, grabbing 11 steals and turning 26 Badger turnovers into 21 Wildcat points.
Northwestern also posted a solid scoring spread, every Wildcat who played at least five minutes found the basket more than once. Senior Lindsey Pulliam and junior Sydney Wood led all 'Cats with 14 points a piece. Meanwhile junior Veronica Burton followed with 13; ten of which came from her perfect performance at the charity stripe. Burton also dished out a game-high nine assists.
Wood opened up scoring with her signature scoop, but the Badgers took an early lead with success form deep. The teams started traded buckets before Northwestern found a 11-0 run fueled by fastbreaks to end the quarter.
The 'Cats played a measured second quarter and spread the floor after pushing the pace for most of the first. Burton, Wood, Pulliam and Hamilton all got a piece of the action, while senior Lauryn Satterwhite launched the Wildcats' first make from deep.
Northwestern got off to a slow start coming out of the locker room and Wisconsin slowly started to chip away at a 17-point Wildcat lead. The 'Cats stayed aggressive and went 10 for 10 from the line to maintain their advantage. Wood hit double digits and Northwestern went into the fourth leading 53-39.
Burton opened up scoring for the 'Cats in the fourth with a swish from deep, her first points from the field. Pulliam built off that momentum and fought through heavy traffic to put away three jumpers in just two minutes, sealing the deal for the Wildcats.
Northwestern will hit the road to face their in-state rival, Illinois for a second time on Tuesday. They look to sweep the Fighting Illini after taking home a 73-54 win early in the season.
