Northwestern University Athletics
Thursday, January 23
Evanston, Ill.
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
7-11,0-7Big Ten
60
vs
85
Illinois
14-5,4-4Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Illinois
27
23
21
14
85
Northwestern
9
13
19
19
60
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Hot-Shooting Illinois Downs Northwestern
1/23/2025 11:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
‘Cats put three in double figures in defeat
EVANSTON, Ill. (January 23, 2025) – Kyla Jones, Taylor Williams, and Grace Sullivan all scored in double figures as Illinois (14-5, 4-4 B1G) used a red-hot start to create early separation en route to an 85-60 win over Northwestern (7-11, 0-7 B1G) this evening inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Gallery: (1-23-2025) Women's Basketball vs. Illinois
How It Happened
Williams got her night off and running just under 90 seconds in, driving inside to get Northwestern on the board following back-to-back Illinois buckets, 4-2. Sullivan drilled a deep two to snap a 7-0 Fighting Illini Run and pull the 'Cats back within seven, 13-6, but Illinois kept its foot on the gas, shooting just shy of 60 percent across the opening 10 minutes, as it opened up a commanding 27-9 lead.
Scores on consecutive trips from Williams and Casey Harter trimmed Illinois' lead to 36-17 at the 6:37 mark of the second quarter. The visitors responded with a Brynn Shoup-Hill triple that pushed margin back across the 20-point plateau on the way to taking a 50-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Despite struggling to make a dent in its deficit during the closing 20 minutes, Northwestern continued to battle. Kat Righeimer tallied the first two points of her collegiate career off a feed from fellow first-year Xamiya Walton with 7:35 remaining before stepping outside to drill a triple inside the closing two minutes of regulation.
Inside The Box Score
- Jones paced Northwestern on the night with 14 points (5-6 FGs, 4-8 FTs).
- Jones, who also added three steals, led Northwestern in scoring for the fourth time this season.
- Williams fell just short of her eighth double-double of the year, adding 11 points (5-12 FGs, 1-3 FTs) and nine rebounds.
- Sullivan scored in double figures for the third time in four games, matching Williams on the offensive end with 11 points (4-9 FGs, 3-5 FTs).
- Righeimer provided a spark off the bench for the 'Cats, putting up seven points (3-3 FGs, 1-1 3FGs), four rebounds, two assists, and a steal across a season-high 13 minutes of action.
- Kendall Bostic wrapped up her Big Ten-best 12th double-double of the season to lead Illinois, finishing with 20 points (9-15 FGs, 2-2 FTs) and 11 rebounds.
Up Next
Northwestern is back in action on Tuesday, January 28, when it visits Iowa for a 7 p.m. CT tip-off inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena that will be televised on Big Ten Network.
How It Happened
Williams got her night off and running just under 90 seconds in, driving inside to get Northwestern on the board following back-to-back Illinois buckets, 4-2. Sullivan drilled a deep two to snap a 7-0 Fighting Illini Run and pull the 'Cats back within seven, 13-6, but Illinois kept its foot on the gas, shooting just shy of 60 percent across the opening 10 minutes, as it opened up a commanding 27-9 lead.
Scores on consecutive trips from Williams and Casey Harter trimmed Illinois' lead to 36-17 at the 6:37 mark of the second quarter. The visitors responded with a Brynn Shoup-Hill triple that pushed margin back across the 20-point plateau on the way to taking a 50-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Despite struggling to make a dent in its deficit during the closing 20 minutes, Northwestern continued to battle. Kat Righeimer tallied the first two points of her collegiate career off a feed from fellow first-year Xamiya Walton with 7:35 remaining before stepping outside to drill a triple inside the closing two minutes of regulation.
Inside The Box Score
- Jones paced Northwestern on the night with 14 points (5-6 FGs, 4-8 FTs).
- Jones, who also added three steals, led Northwestern in scoring for the fourth time this season.
- Williams fell just short of her eighth double-double of the year, adding 11 points (5-12 FGs, 1-3 FTs) and nine rebounds.
- Sullivan scored in double figures for the third time in four games, matching Williams on the offensive end with 11 points (4-9 FGs, 3-5 FTs).
- Righeimer provided a spark off the bench for the 'Cats, putting up seven points (3-3 FGs, 1-1 3FGs), four rebounds, two assists, and a steal across a season-high 13 minutes of action.
- Kendall Bostic wrapped up her Big Ten-best 12th double-double of the season to lead Illinois, finishing with 20 points (9-15 FGs, 2-2 FTs) and 11 rebounds.
Up Next
Northwestern is back in action on Tuesday, January 28, when it visits Iowa for a 7 p.m. CT tip-off inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena that will be televised on Big Ten Network.
Team Stats
Illini
NU
FG%
.492
.354
3FG%
.400
.154
FT%
.864
.600
RB
43
32
TO
11
11
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
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