Northwestern
Illinois
Northwestern Set to Face No. 21 Illinois at Welsh-Ryan Arena
1/21/2023 6:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
| NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: GAME INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | Opponent | TIME | LOCATION | Watch | Live Stats |
| Sunday, January 22 | #21 Illinois | 2:00 p.m. | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Illinois |
B1G+ | Live Stats |
| Social: Twitter: @NUWbball | Instagram: @nuwbball | |||||
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern is back on the home court on Sunday as they prepare to host the No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip-off between the two teams is set for 2:00 p.m.
The Wildcats (6-12, 0-8) will face the Illini (15-4, 5-3) for the second time this season after they met earlier this month in Champaign. Illinois, then unranked, came out on top of that matchup by a final score of 85-79. Now tabbed the No. 21 team in the country, the Illini will be the eighth ranked opponent the 'Cats will face this season.
In Northwestern's last meeting with Illinois, Sydney Wood matched her career high with 19 points and also tallied five rebounds, five assists and three steals. The grad student has since logged two more double-digit scoring games, giving her an 11.1 points-per-game average heading into Sunday's matchup. Though she didn't add any steals to her season total last time out, the 43 she's collected so far this season still put her second in the Big Ten and 37th in the NCAA.
Also hitting double-digit scoring recently were Paige Mott and Caroline Lau, Northwestern's two leading scorers in their most recent game. Both Mott (16) and Lau (13) hit career highs for points against Ohio State. For Mott, her fifth double-digit performance of the season came on 6-10 shooting. For Lau, the game was her first in double figures as a Wildcat, and the five field goals she made were also a career mark.
Since the last time the teams met, the Illini have gone 1-2 with a win over Minnesota and losses to then-No. 3 Ohio State and No. 6 Indiana. They'll enter Sunday's game in sixth place in the conference behind five other ranked teams.
Sunday's game will be the first of a short two-game home stand for the 'Cats, who will also host Chicago State on Wednesday. That game is the make-up for the contest originally scheduled for December 22. Tip off between the Wildcats and the Cougars is set for 7 p.m.
