EVANSTON, Ill. (February 9, 2025) – Melannie Daley led all scorers with 20 points, pacing a group of three Wildcats in double figures, as Northwestern (8-14, 1-10 B1G) willed its way to a 69-63 win over Penn State (10-14, 1-12 B1G) this afternoon inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
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How It Happened
Northwestern looked to establish an inside presence from the opening tip, with Taylor Williams finishing in the paint to knot the score up at 2-2 with only 42 seconds gone. Following a Caroline Lau putback that made it 6-6 near the midway point of the frame, Vitoria Santana connected on a three to ignite a 9-2 Penn State spurt, as the visitors opened up a 17-8 lead. Two Caileigh Walsh free throws closed the gap to five, 17-12, before Talayah Walker beat the buzzer to send Penn State into the second quarter with a 19-12 lead.
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Daley asserted her presence early in the second frame, rattling off six straight points to cut the Lady Lions' lead to three, 23-20. A turnaround jumper from Grace Sullivan gave Northwestern its first lead of the day, 26-25, with 3:37 remaining before buckets on consecutive trips from Williams and Daley, respectively, stretched the gap to five, 30-25. Penn State responded heading into halftime, with Walker scoring again as time expired to trim the Wildcats' lead to 30-29.
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Northwestern locked in on the defensive end coming out of the intermission, holding Penn State scoreless for the opening 4:25 of the third quarter as it pushed its advantage back out to five, 34-29, on a Kyla Jones fast break score. After seeing Penn State retake the lead, 38-36, Daley finished through contact on the way to an old-fashioned three-point play that put the 'Cats back on top, 39-38.  Sullivan connected on another turnaround jumper in the closing minute to send the two teams to the fourth quarter in a 41-41 deadlock.
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Walsh and Casey Harter provided Northwestern with an early spark in the final frame, each connecting on threes to stake the 'Cats to a 47-41 edge. Daley and Lau both capped off fast breaks with scores ahead of a Sullivan mid-range jumper that saw the lead balloon to 54-43 with 7:01 to play. With the margin sitting at 59-47 following another Sullivan make, Penn State took advantage of a Northwestern cold spell, charging back within four, 59-55, on a Walker layup with only 1:43 to go. A Jayla Oden layup made it a one-possession game, 66-63, in the closing seconds, but Northwestern went on to put the game away at the line en route to securing its first Big Ten win of the season.
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Inside The Box Score
- Daley was outstanding, closing her day with 20 points (9-14 FGs, 2-3 FTs), three rebounds, four assists, and a season-high tying four steals.
           - Daley, who reached the 20-point mark for the third time this season, has scored in double figures in 11 of Northwestern's last 13 games.
- Sullivan added 14 points on a 7-of-10 clip from the field, in addition to tying a career high with three steals of her own.
- Led by Daley and Sullivan, Northwestern owned a dominant 34-11 advantage in bench scoring.
- Harter rounded out a trio of 'Cats to score in double figures with 10 points (2-9 FGs, 1-6 3FGs, 5-6 FTs).
- Paced by a game-high eight assists from Lau, Northwestern assisted on 20 of its 26 made field goals.
- Williams was active on both ends of the floor, finishing with seven points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.
           - Williams has 12 games with 10-plus rebounds this season.
- On the defensive end, the Wildcats forced Penn State into 24 turnovers, the most this season by a Northwestern opponent.
           - The 'Cats finished with a 21-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
- Walker led the Lady Lions with 14 points (6-11 FGs, 2-3 FTs). Â
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Up Next
Northwestern begins a two-game road swing on Wednesday, February 12 against Purdue. Tip-off from inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
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How It Happened
Northwestern looked to establish an inside presence from the opening tip, with Taylor Williams finishing in the paint to knot the score up at 2-2 with only 42 seconds gone. Following a Caroline Lau putback that made it 6-6 near the midway point of the frame, Vitoria Santana connected on a three to ignite a 9-2 Penn State spurt, as the visitors opened up a 17-8 lead. Two Caileigh Walsh free throws closed the gap to five, 17-12, before Talayah Walker beat the buzzer to send Penn State into the second quarter with a 19-12 lead.
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Daley asserted her presence early in the second frame, rattling off six straight points to cut the Lady Lions' lead to three, 23-20. A turnaround jumper from Grace Sullivan gave Northwestern its first lead of the day, 26-25, with 3:37 remaining before buckets on consecutive trips from Williams and Daley, respectively, stretched the gap to five, 30-25. Penn State responded heading into halftime, with Walker scoring again as time expired to trim the Wildcats' lead to 30-29.
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Northwestern locked in on the defensive end coming out of the intermission, holding Penn State scoreless for the opening 4:25 of the third quarter as it pushed its advantage back out to five, 34-29, on a Kyla Jones fast break score. After seeing Penn State retake the lead, 38-36, Daley finished through contact on the way to an old-fashioned three-point play that put the 'Cats back on top, 39-38.  Sullivan connected on another turnaround jumper in the closing minute to send the two teams to the fourth quarter in a 41-41 deadlock.
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Walsh and Casey Harter provided Northwestern with an early spark in the final frame, each connecting on threes to stake the 'Cats to a 47-41 edge. Daley and Lau both capped off fast breaks with scores ahead of a Sullivan mid-range jumper that saw the lead balloon to 54-43 with 7:01 to play. With the margin sitting at 59-47 following another Sullivan make, Penn State took advantage of a Northwestern cold spell, charging back within four, 59-55, on a Walker layup with only 1:43 to go. A Jayla Oden layup made it a one-possession game, 66-63, in the closing seconds, but Northwestern went on to put the game away at the line en route to securing its first Big Ten win of the season.
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Gallery: (2-9-2025) Women's Basketball vs. Penn State
Inside The Box Score
- Daley was outstanding, closing her day with 20 points (9-14 FGs, 2-3 FTs), three rebounds, four assists, and a season-high tying four steals.
           - Daley, who reached the 20-point mark for the third time this season, has scored in double figures in 11 of Northwestern's last 13 games.
- Sullivan added 14 points on a 7-of-10 clip from the field, in addition to tying a career high with three steals of her own.
- Led by Daley and Sullivan, Northwestern owned a dominant 34-11 advantage in bench scoring.
- Harter rounded out a trio of 'Cats to score in double figures with 10 points (2-9 FGs, 1-6 3FGs, 5-6 FTs).
- Paced by a game-high eight assists from Lau, Northwestern assisted on 20 of its 26 made field goals.
- Williams was active on both ends of the floor, finishing with seven points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.
           - Williams has 12 games with 10-plus rebounds this season.
- On the defensive end, the Wildcats forced Penn State into 24 turnovers, the most this season by a Northwestern opponent.
           - The 'Cats finished with a 21-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
- Walker led the Lady Lions with 14 points (6-11 FGs, 2-3 FTs). Â
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Up Next
Northwestern begins a two-game road swing on Wednesday, February 12 against Purdue. Tip-off from inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.