Northwestern
5-7,0-1Big Ten
Temple
6-6,0-0AAC
Northwestern Topples Temple on Daley's 20-Point Day
12/21/2023 5:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Melannie Daley racked up 21 points, all in the second half, as one of four double-digit scorers in Northwestern's 72-68 victory over Temple on the road Thursday morning.
The Wildcats (5-7) were led by Daley, but Caileigh Walsh added 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks and Casey Harter helped out with 13 points and four assists.
Northwestern shared the ball well in Thursday's game, racking up 19 assists on 27 made field goals. Harter's four assists led the Wildcats, tying with Caroline Lau, who chipped in with four of her own.
Northwestern did a great job disrupting Temple shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Mercy Ademusayo led the way individually for the Wildcats with two rejections.
How It Happened
After falling behind 13-5, Northwestern went on a 7-0 run with 4:42 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Harter, to narrow its deficit to 13-12. Temple answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Wildcats down 18-15 entering the second quarter.
Temple kept adding to that lead in the second, building a 28-17 advantage before Northwestern went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by a three from Maggie Pina, to narrow its deficit to 28-24. The Wildcats were unable to narrow the gap any further, but did not lose ground either and entered halftime with a 30-26 deficit.
Northwestern came out of halftime on fire, going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Daley, to grab a 32-30 lead with 7:38 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Wildcats added two points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 49-45 edge. Northwestern played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 23 points in the paint.
Northwestern kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Harter's jumper, to grow the lead to 64-54 with 4:27 to go in the contest. The Owls narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Wildcats still held on for the 72-68 win.
Game Notes
» The Wildcats held the Owls to only 30.9 percent shooting from the field.
» The Wildcats shared the ball well, recording an assist on 70 percent of made field goals.
» The Wildcats were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team, including two each from Ademusayo and Paige Mott.
» Melannie Daley scored 20 or more points for the third time this season and is now averaging a team-best 13.0 points per game.
» Northwestern got a team-high seven rebounds from Caileigh Walsh.
» With Daley, Walsh, Harter and Mott all in double figures, Northwestern has now had four or more players hit that mark in six games this season.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
