Northwestern University Athletics

Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
‘Cats Defeat Howard In Hawk Classic Finale, 68-66
12/21/2024 12:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Sullivan paces Northwestern with 17 points
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (December 21, 2024) – Northwestern (7-5, 0-1 B1G) closed out the non-conference portion of its 2024-25 schedule in thrilling fashion this afternoon, defeating Howard (6-8, 0-0 MEAC) by a final count of 68-66 in the third-place game of the Hawk Classic inside Hagan Arena in Philadelphia, Pa.
Gallery: (12-21-2024) Women's Basketball vs. Howard
How It Happened
Caroline Lau looked to shake Northwestern out of its early struggles on the offensive end, knocking down a three at the 7:33 mark to give the 'Cats a 4-2 edge. Melannie Daley found space inside and finished to push the gap to 9-6 before Casey Harter connected on a triple of her own to stretch the lead to 14-8. Fresh off a 20-point effort on Friday, Caileigh Walsh rattled off five straight points, three of which came on a conventional three-point play, as Northwester held a 19-15 edge after the opening 10 minutes.
Harter dialed in again from distance, drilling her second three of the day to open the scoring in the second quarter and push the margin to seven, 22-15. Tayla Thomas provided a lift off the bench, grabbing one of her four rebounds in the second frame before converting to reestablish a seven-point lead, 24-17, with 6:22 remaining. Following a layup by Taylor Williams that gave Northwestern a 28-23 advantage, Howard caught fire, closing the half on a 10-0 tear as it surged into halftime with a 33-28 lead.
Northwestern came out of the intermission on fire, opening the half on a 14-0 run that saw it charge back in front. Harter accounted for five of the Wildcats' first seven points of the frame, with her third trey of the afternoon putting Northwestern back on top, 35-33. After finding Grace Sullivan on the break for two more, Kyla Jones finished through contact on the way to completing an old-fashioned three-point play to stretch the lead to seven, 40-33. The Wildcat press forced a Bison turnover which led to a Sullivan layup that gave Northwestern its largest lead of the day, 42-33, with just over three minutes gone. After Howard closed back within three, 46-43, Sullivan converted on a three-point play of her own, nudging the lead back to six, 49-43, at the 4:09 mark. The Bison refused to fold, ultimately trimming Northwestern's lead to 55-54 at the end of the third quarter.
In a fourth quarter that featured four lead changes and three ties, Howard went in front, 63-61, with 4:24 to play in regulation. Daley looked to will the 'Cats across the finish line, scoring on back-to-back trips to give Northwestern a 65-63 lead with two minutes remaining. Daley converted again with only 25 seconds left, pushing the lead to three, 67-64. Following a split at the free throw line that upped the lead to two, 68-66, Walsh came up with a key defensive play, blocking Destiny Howell's last-ditch three to seal a Northwestern victory.
Inside The Box Score
- Sullivan led the way for Northwestern, finishing with a game-high 17 points (6-11 FGs, 5-7 FTs) and six rebounds.
- Sullivan has now reached double figures in scoring eight times this season.
- Propelled by multiple key buckets in the fourth quarter, Daley closed her day with 16 points (7-12 FGs, 2-2 FTs).
- Harter (4-9 FGs, 3-5 3FGs) and Walsh (3-11 FGs, 5-5 FTs) chipped in 11 points apiece.
- Williams ripped down 11 rebounds, her seventh outing collecting 10-plus caroms in 2024-25.
- Howell led Howard with 14 points (5-20 FGs, 4-4 FTs).
Up Next
Northwestern resumes Big Ten Conference play on Saturday, December 28 when it hosts league newcomer Washington in a 2 p.m. tip-off inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
How It Happened
Caroline Lau looked to shake Northwestern out of its early struggles on the offensive end, knocking down a three at the 7:33 mark to give the 'Cats a 4-2 edge. Melannie Daley found space inside and finished to push the gap to 9-6 before Casey Harter connected on a triple of her own to stretch the lead to 14-8. Fresh off a 20-point effort on Friday, Caileigh Walsh rattled off five straight points, three of which came on a conventional three-point play, as Northwester held a 19-15 edge after the opening 10 minutes.
Harter dialed in again from distance, drilling her second three of the day to open the scoring in the second quarter and push the margin to seven, 22-15. Tayla Thomas provided a lift off the bench, grabbing one of her four rebounds in the second frame before converting to reestablish a seven-point lead, 24-17, with 6:22 remaining. Following a layup by Taylor Williams that gave Northwestern a 28-23 advantage, Howard caught fire, closing the half on a 10-0 tear as it surged into halftime with a 33-28 lead.
Northwestern came out of the intermission on fire, opening the half on a 14-0 run that saw it charge back in front. Harter accounted for five of the Wildcats' first seven points of the frame, with her third trey of the afternoon putting Northwestern back on top, 35-33. After finding Grace Sullivan on the break for two more, Kyla Jones finished through contact on the way to completing an old-fashioned three-point play to stretch the lead to seven, 40-33. The Wildcat press forced a Bison turnover which led to a Sullivan layup that gave Northwestern its largest lead of the day, 42-33, with just over three minutes gone. After Howard closed back within three, 46-43, Sullivan converted on a three-point play of her own, nudging the lead back to six, 49-43, at the 4:09 mark. The Bison refused to fold, ultimately trimming Northwestern's lead to 55-54 at the end of the third quarter.
In a fourth quarter that featured four lead changes and three ties, Howard went in front, 63-61, with 4:24 to play in regulation. Daley looked to will the 'Cats across the finish line, scoring on back-to-back trips to give Northwestern a 65-63 lead with two minutes remaining. Daley converted again with only 25 seconds left, pushing the lead to three, 67-64. Following a split at the free throw line that upped the lead to two, 68-66, Walsh came up with a key defensive play, blocking Destiny Howell's last-ditch three to seal a Northwestern victory.
Inside The Box Score
- Sullivan led the way for Northwestern, finishing with a game-high 17 points (6-11 FGs, 5-7 FTs) and six rebounds.
- Sullivan has now reached double figures in scoring eight times this season.
- Propelled by multiple key buckets in the fourth quarter, Daley closed her day with 16 points (7-12 FGs, 2-2 FTs).
- Harter (4-9 FGs, 3-5 3FGs) and Walsh (3-11 FGs, 5-5 FTs) chipped in 11 points apiece.
- Williams ripped down 11 rebounds, her seventh outing collecting 10-plus caroms in 2024-25.
- Howell led Howard with 14 points (5-20 FGs, 4-4 FTs).
Up Next
Northwestern resumes Big Ten Conference play on Saturday, December 28 when it hosts league newcomer Washington in a 2 p.m. tip-off inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Team Stats
NU
HOW
FG%
.414
.311
3FG%
.250
.200
FT%
.762
.708
RB
43
42
TO
20
9
STL
2
8
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Women's Basketball - Big Ten Network Desk Segment at Big Ten Media Day (10/8/25)
Wednesday, October 08
Joe McKeown Joins B1G Today (7/14/25)
Thursday, July 17
Women's Basketball - Nebraska Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, March 02
Women's Basketball - 'Cats Furious Comeback Falls Short In 85-79 Loss To No. 21 Maryland (2/20/25)
Friday, February 21