Northwestern University Athletics
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'Cats Earn Overtime Victory Against UIC in Opener
11/9/2023 9:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Hailey Weaver put the Northwestern women's basketball team ahead for good with 4:47 to go in overtime, sealing a season-opening win for the Wildcats. They downed the UIC Flames by a final score of 92-86 at home on Thursday.
The Wildcats (1-0) saw all five starters score in double figures, led by Melannie Daley, who had a career-high 25 points and two steals. Caileigh Walsh added a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Caroline Lau chipped in as well with a double-double of her own, logging 16 points and 15 assists.
Northwestern out-rebounded UIC 59-37 in Thursday's game, paced by Paige Mott's 20 boards. The Wildcats also collected 20 offensive rebounds and scored 20 second chance points.
Northwestern did a great job disrupting UIC shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Mott's three rejections led the way individually for the Wildcats.
How It Happened
After playing to a 10-10 tie early in the game, Northwestern went on a 6-0 run with 3:22 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Daley, to take a 16-10 lead. The Flames struck back early, however, and the 'Cats entered the second quarter down 19-16.
UIC kept adding to their lead in the second, leading by as many as 19 in the second quarter while the 'Cats went cold form the floor. Northwestern was unable to narrow the gap much before the break, and they entered halftime with a 44-30 deficit.
Northwestern came out of the intermission swinging. They cut the deficit to 52-44 before going on a 13-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Walsh, to grab a 57-52 lead with 29 seconds to go in the third. Daley led the comeback, scoring 11 points on 5-6 shooting in the period.
UIC regained their lead midway through the fourth, taking a 70-65 lead before Northwestern evened the score once again at 70 all with 2:25 to go in regulation. Neither team was able to finish the game before the buzzer, and the contest headed to overtime tied at 75-75.
Northwestern scored the first points of overtime on a three-point make from Weaver and never looked back, outscoring the flames 17-10 to take home a season-opening victory by a final score of 92-86.
Game Notes
» Caileigh Walsh, Caroline Lau, and Paige Mott all registered double-doubles for the Wildcats and all five starters scored in double figures.
» Northwestern got a whopping 15 assists from Caroline Lau, one off tying the program record. It's the most assists by a Northwestern player in a single game since 1993.
» Paige Mott nabbed a game-high 20 rebounds to lead Northwestern. Mott is one of just two Northwestern players in the last decade to record a 20-rebound game.
» Melannie Daley led the Wildcats with a career-high 25 points. She became the first Northwestern player to score 25 or more in a game since Veronica Burton on March 4, 2022.
» The Wildcats shared the ball well, recording an assist on 78 percent of made baskets.
» Northwestern had a 59-37 edge on the boards in the win, their most rebounds since last January against Chicago State.
» The Northwestern defense forced 15 turnovers.
» The Wildcats were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
