Northwestern
Bradley
Northwestern Returns To Action Sunday, Hosts In-State Foe Bradley
12/14/2024 10:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball
'Cats begin stretch of four games in six days
Sunday's matchup against the Braves kicks off a challenging stretch that sees the 'Cats play four games over a six-day span.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern gave No. 23 Michigan all it could handle, ultimately falling by a final count of 60-54 in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams last Sunday at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. The 'Cats put forth a stout defensive effort in the defeat, limiting a Michigan offense that came into the day ranked inside the top 15 nationally in scoring offense to its season-low point total.
Kyla Jones led the way on the offensive end for Northwestern as she finished in double figures in scoring for the fourth time this season, closing her afternoon with 14 points. Caileigh Walsh came off the bench to chip in 10 points, while Caroline Lau knocked three triples and dished out seven assists as Northwestern connected on a season-high seven three-point field goals in the defeat.
SCOUTING BRADLEY
Bradley, which is led by former Wildcat assistant coach and student-athlete Kate Popovec-Goss, enters Sunday's meeting with Northwestern at 5-3 overall. The Braves dropped a 70-52 decision on the road at Illinois this past Thursday. Picked to finish 11th in the Missouri Valley Conference's Preseason Poll, Bradley is off to its best start through eight games since the 2019-20 campaign, a year in which the Braves won eight of their first nine contests.
Toledo transfer Soleil Barnes has impressed through the first eight games of her Bradley career, averaging a team-best 13.8 points for Popovec-Goss' team. Barnes has scored in double figures in all but one game this season, a collection highlighted by a 20-point showing in a 72-47 rout of IU Indy on November 21 at Renaissance Coliseum.
Bradley has made its mark on the defensive end early on this season. The Braves allow just 55.8 points per game, a mark that leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks 50th overall nationally, and hold opponents to an NCAA-best 18.1 percent clip from beyond the three-point arc.
SERIES STUFF
Sunday's matinee marks only the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs, a series in which the 'Cats hold a slim 3-2 (.600) edge. Both teams are undefeated on their respective home floors in the series, which traces its roots back to a 73-57 Wildcat win on December 3, 1985.
When the two teams met last season on December 17, 2023, Walsh scored a game-high 19 points, leading a quartet of Wildcats in double figures, as Northwestern coasted to an 86-66 win in Evanston, Ill. Led by six-assist efforts from both Melannie Daley and Casey Harter, the 'Cats operated at an efficient clip on the offensive end in the win, recording an assist on 25 of their 33 made field goals.
UP NEXT
Northwestern is back at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday, December 18 for an 11 a.m. clash with UNLV in the program's annual Field Trip Day game.
