Northwestern
9-21,2-16Big Ten
#11 Rutgers
12-19,5-13Big Ten
Walsh Scores 24 in 63-59 Loss to Rutgers
3/1/2023 8:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Caileigh Walsh matched her career high with 24 points, but the Northwestern women's basketball team fell to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 63-59 at Target Center Wednesday, concluding their season with a first-round exit from the Big Ten Tournament.
Walsh added eight rebounds and two blocks to her 24 point game to lead the Wildcats (9-21). Sydney Wood helped out with six points and a career-high six blocks, while Paige Mott chipped in with 11 points.
Northwestern utilized excellent ball movement in Wednesday's game, piling up 16 assists on 19 made field goals. Individually, Kaylah Rainey lent a helping hand the most for the Wildcats with five assists and Hailey Weaver also added three assists of her own.
Northwestern did a great job disrupting Rutgers shots in the contest, coming away with 12 blocks. Wood's six rejections led the way individually for the Wildcats.
How It Happened
Northwestern kept it close in the first quarter, but entered the second frame down 20-16.
Rutgers kept adding to that lead, building a 37-25 advantage before Northwestern went on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a three from Walsh, to narrow its deficit to 37-30, a score that would hold until halftime.
Northwestern's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Wildcats faced a 51-43 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Northwestern took advantage of six Rutgers turnovers in the quarter, scoring five points off of takeaways.
Northwestern came out of the third quarter break clicking on all cylinders, going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Laya Hartman's three, to even the score at 51 all with 6:17 to go in the contest. The Wildcats could not turn their rally into a victory, as the Scarlet Knights outscored them 12-8 the rest of the way to hand Northwestern the 63-59 loss. Northwestern fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 16 points.
Game Notes
» The Wildcats shot well from three point range, knocking down 10 of 24 long range attempts - their most made threes of the season.
» The Wildcats held the Scarlet Knights to only 37.9 percent shooting from the field.
» The Wildcats put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 84 percent of made baskets.
» The Northwestern defense forced 20 turnovers.
» The Wildcats were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying a season-high 12 blocks as a team.
» Northwestern cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Caileigh Walsh led the Wildcats with 24 points and eight rebounds.
» Sydney Wood blocked a career-high six shots in her final game in a Wildcat uniform.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
