Northwestern University Athletics
Wednesday, December 18
Evanston, Ill.
11 a.m. CT
Northwestern
6-4,0-1Big Ten
79
vs
76
UNLV
7-4,0-0Mountain West
1
2
3
4
OT 1
F
UNLV
10
20
20
19
7
76
Northwestern
14
18
22
15
10
79
‘Cats Upend Lady Rebels, 79-76, in Overtime
12/18/2024 2:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
‘Cats Win Back-and-Forth Affair with 17 Ties and 18 Lead Changes
EVANSTON, Ill. (December 17, 2024) – Five Wildcats scored in double figures as Northwestern claimed its fourth straight home victory, edging UNLV 79-76 in overtime on Field Trip Day at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Melannie Daley paced the 'Cats (6-4), who have won five of their last six games, offensively with 21 points and seven rebounds. Caileigh Walsh posted her sixth career double-double and first of the 2024 campaign with 13 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Defensively, Northwestern held three-time defending Mountain West Conference championship UNLV (7-4) to a season-low 17.6-percent (3-for-17) from 3-point distance.
After the two teams traded buckets for the opening minutes of the first quarter, Taylor Williams looked to provide a spark, going to coast-to-coast following a steal to put the 'Cats on top, 10-8. Caroline Lau connected with Kyla Jones in transition to stretch the lead to four, 12-8, before Melannie Daley finished in transition to give Northwestern a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Daley continued to operate at an efficient clip, connecting again from mid-range to knot the score up at 19-19 with just over three minutes gone in the second frame. Grace Sullivan rattled home a turnaround jumper in the paint to put Northwestern back in front, 23-22, ahead of a Casey Harter trey that gave Northwestern a 30-28 edge. Daley capped off a 10-point first half with a driving score in the closing minute as the 'Cats took a 32-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Both teams traded blows in the third quarter, with neither side able to stretch its lead to more than four. Northwestern shot 50% from behind the arc in the third quarter, with nine of its 22 points in the frame coming from deep.
Walsh converted on a pair of free throws to cap off a 6-0 run in the early stages of the fourth quarter to stretch the Wildcat lead to 60-53 with 7:18 remaining in regulation, NU's largest lead of the game. Trailing 65-59, the Lady Rebels used a spurt to take a 67-65 lead with 1:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. A Walsh layup knotted the game up at 67 apiece with 1:05 left. Grace Sullivan's jumper with 22 seconds on the clock gave NU a 69-67 lead, before the Lady Rebels responded to tie it at 69 with 15 seconds to go. The Wildcats couldn't convert on the last possession of regulation, sending the contest into overtime.
Melannie Daley scored NU's first four points of overtime, giving the Wildcats a 73-70 lead with 2:51 to go. UNLV responded with a 6-0 run to take a 76-73 lead with 51 seconds to go in the extra period. The Wildcats countered with a 6-0 burst of their own to seal the victory. Casey Harter's layup with 27 seconds left trimmed the Lady Rebel lead to one, and Melannie Daley's putback with four seconds to go gave NU a 77-76 lead. After a UNLV turnover with one second left, the Lady Rebels sent Casey Harter to the free-throw line. Harter converted both free throws and UNLV's game-tying three point attempt was off the mark to seal the 79-76 overtime victory.
Gallery: (12-18-2024) Women's Basketball vs. UNLV
Inside The Box Score
- Northwestern has won four in a row at home and five of its last six overall.
- NU has won three straight overtime games and five of its last six that have gone to overtime.
- Melannie Daley posted 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field.
- Northwestern improves to 8-2 when Daley scores 20+ points.
- Caileigh Walsh posted 13 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth career double-double.
- Caroline Lau posted eight assists, her eighth game this season with 5+ assists.
- Grace Sullivan's 14 points marked her seventh game this season scoring in double figures.
Up Next
Northwestern heads east to Philadelphia, Pa. this weekend for the Jersey Mike's Hawk Classic. The 'Cats will open play on Friday, December 20 with a Noon (CT) tilt against Charleston before battling either Saint Joseph's or Howard on Saturday, December 21 at 10 a.m. or Noon (CT).
Melannie Daley paced the 'Cats (6-4), who have won five of their last six games, offensively with 21 points and seven rebounds. Caileigh Walsh posted her sixth career double-double and first of the 2024 campaign with 13 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Defensively, Northwestern held three-time defending Mountain West Conference championship UNLV (7-4) to a season-low 17.6-percent (3-for-17) from 3-point distance.
How It HappenedWILDCAT WINS-DAY ?? #CatsWin pic.twitter.com/Nr040dE12H
— Northwestern Women's Basketball (@nuwbball) December 18, 2024
After the two teams traded buckets for the opening minutes of the first quarter, Taylor Williams looked to provide a spark, going to coast-to-coast following a steal to put the 'Cats on top, 10-8. Caroline Lau connected with Kyla Jones in transition to stretch the lead to four, 12-8, before Melannie Daley finished in transition to give Northwestern a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Daley continued to operate at an efficient clip, connecting again from mid-range to knot the score up at 19-19 with just over three minutes gone in the second frame. Grace Sullivan rattled home a turnaround jumper in the paint to put Northwestern back in front, 23-22, ahead of a Casey Harter trey that gave Northwestern a 30-28 edge. Daley capped off a 10-point first half with a driving score in the closing minute as the 'Cats took a 32-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Both teams traded blows in the third quarter, with neither side able to stretch its lead to more than four. Northwestern shot 50% from behind the arc in the third quarter, with nine of its 22 points in the frame coming from deep.
Walsh converted on a pair of free throws to cap off a 6-0 run in the early stages of the fourth quarter to stretch the Wildcat lead to 60-53 with 7:18 remaining in regulation, NU's largest lead of the game. Trailing 65-59, the Lady Rebels used a spurt to take a 67-65 lead with 1:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. A Walsh layup knotted the game up at 67 apiece with 1:05 left. Grace Sullivan's jumper with 22 seconds on the clock gave NU a 69-67 lead, before the Lady Rebels responded to tie it at 69 with 15 seconds to go. The Wildcats couldn't convert on the last possession of regulation, sending the contest into overtime.
Melannie Daley scored NU's first four points of overtime, giving the Wildcats a 73-70 lead with 2:51 to go. UNLV responded with a 6-0 run to take a 76-73 lead with 51 seconds to go in the extra period. The Wildcats countered with a 6-0 burst of their own to seal the victory. Casey Harter's layup with 27 seconds left trimmed the Lady Rebel lead to one, and Melannie Daley's putback with four seconds to go gave NU a 77-76 lead. After a UNLV turnover with one second left, the Lady Rebels sent Casey Harter to the free-throw line. Harter converted both free throws and UNLV's game-tying three point attempt was off the mark to seal the 79-76 overtime victory.
- Northwestern has won four in a row at home and five of its last six overall.
- NU has won three straight overtime games and five of its last six that have gone to overtime.
- Melannie Daley posted 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field.
- Northwestern improves to 8-2 when Daley scores 20+ points.
- Caileigh Walsh posted 13 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth career double-double.
- Caroline Lau posted eight assists, her eighth game this season with 5+ assists.
- Grace Sullivan's 14 points marked her seventh game this season scoring in double figures.
Up Next
Northwestern heads east to Philadelphia, Pa. this weekend for the Jersey Mike's Hawk Classic. The 'Cats will open play on Friday, December 20 with a Noon (CT) tilt against Charleston before battling either Saint Joseph's or Howard on Saturday, December 21 at 10 a.m. or Noon (CT).
Team Stats
UNLV
NU
FG%
.384
.449
3FG%
.176
.235
FT%
.739
.813
RB
39
44
TO
11
15
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
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