Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, November 21
Evanston, Ill.
6:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
5-0,0-0Big Ten
75
vs
68
Cleveland State
4-1,0-0Horizon
1
2
3
4
F
Cleveland St.
20
15
15
18
68
Northwestern
9
25
20
21
75
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
’Cats Battle Back To Win Fifth Straight Over Cleveland State, 75-68
11/21/2025 9:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Sullivan posts double-double, Keswick scores career-high 18 points
EVANSTON, Ill. — Four days after securing its first road win of the 2025-26 campaign, Northwestern defeated Cleveland State, 75-68, on Friday night in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"Tough game tonight — physical, hard-nosed game," Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown said. "We talked after the game with our team [that] in the Big Ten, you're going to see a lot of that."
Senior forward Grace Sullivan scored a team-high 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Wildcats (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) secured the program's best start to a season since 2019-20. The result snapped an undefeated start to 2025-26 for the Vikings (4-1, 0-0 Horizon League).
Sullivan said the team's resilience was on full display in the win.
"It was pure toughness," Sullivan said. "After [the first quarter], we really locked in, tried to defend harder, play harder on offense. We knew we weren't going to lose this game. We weren't going to allow ourselves to lose this game. Resilience is the best way to describe it."
Sophomore guard Claire Keswick turned in a career performance, tallying 18 points by way of six three-pointers. They marked the first points of Keswick's career.
For Keswick, Friday's shooting performance relied on staying ready and confident.
"What I felt was my coaches and teammates feeling confident in me," Keswick said. "I started to feel that, and all of shooting is confidence. That confidence snowballed."
Sophomore forward Tayla Thomas joined Sullivan and Keswick in double figures, recording 11 points and six rebounds.
Running the floor, senior guard Caroline Lau dished out 12 assists to just two turnovers.
Cleveland State started the game on the front foot, building a 20-9 lead in the first quarter. But Northwestern launched a torrid comeback effort in the second quarter, using a 13-0 run to cut the deficit to 28-26 midway through the frame.
"We talk about redefining wins other than the scoreboard," Keswick said. "Our team practices resilience every day to not let moments like these turn into the whole game."
Keswick's fourth first-half triple cut the deficit to just one point as the 'Cats entered halftime trailing by a 35-34 margin.
Following the break, Sullivan gave the Wildcats their first lead of the evening on a mid-range jumper early in the third quarter. A 12-0 Northwestern run helped the hosts push their advantage to 48-39 with less than five minutes remaining in the frame.
The Wildcats held the Vikings without a make from the field for nearly six minutes and carried a 54-50 lead into the final quarter. While Cleveland State knotted the game back up at 58-58, a pair of Keswick threes helped Northwestern recapture a 64-58 lead with 5:40 to play.
"Claire really just helped open things up for everybody else," McKeown said. "She's a great weapon when we can get her the ball in the open court."
The Wildcats held the Vikings scoreless in the final 2:20 as they secured their fifth win of the season.
"This year it's been a goal to finish the game," Sullivan said. "Be tough, keep your poise, and coach keeps saying 'Until the end.' It's been ingrained in our minds. We are going to finish every game. We're not going to let up because we don't want to let ourselves down. We put in too much work to not finish these games."
Northwestern will be back in action when it opens play at the Elevance Health Fort Myers Tip-off on Friday, Nov. 28 against Abilene Christian in Fort Myers, Fla. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT on ION.
Gallery: (11-21-2025) Women's Basketball vs. Cleveland State
"Tough game tonight — physical, hard-nosed game," Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown said. "We talked after the game with our team [that] in the Big Ten, you're going to see a lot of that."
Senior forward Grace Sullivan scored a team-high 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Wildcats (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) secured the program's best start to a season since 2019-20. The result snapped an undefeated start to 2025-26 for the Vikings (4-1, 0-0 Horizon League).
Sullivan said the team's resilience was on full display in the win.
"It was pure toughness," Sullivan said. "After [the first quarter], we really locked in, tried to defend harder, play harder on offense. We knew we weren't going to lose this game. We weren't going to allow ourselves to lose this game. Resilience is the best way to describe it."
Sophomore guard Claire Keswick turned in a career performance, tallying 18 points by way of six three-pointers. They marked the first points of Keswick's career.
For Keswick, Friday's shooting performance relied on staying ready and confident.
"What I felt was my coaches and teammates feeling confident in me," Keswick said. "I started to feel that, and all of shooting is confidence. That confidence snowballed."
Sophomore forward Tayla Thomas joined Sullivan and Keswick in double figures, recording 11 points and six rebounds.
Running the floor, senior guard Caroline Lau dished out 12 assists to just two turnovers.
Cleveland State started the game on the front foot, building a 20-9 lead in the first quarter. But Northwestern launched a torrid comeback effort in the second quarter, using a 13-0 run to cut the deficit to 28-26 midway through the frame.
"We talk about redefining wins other than the scoreboard," Keswick said. "Our team practices resilience every day to not let moments like these turn into the whole game."
Keswick's fourth first-half triple cut the deficit to just one point as the 'Cats entered halftime trailing by a 35-34 margin.
Following the break, Sullivan gave the Wildcats their first lead of the evening on a mid-range jumper early in the third quarter. A 12-0 Northwestern run helped the hosts push their advantage to 48-39 with less than five minutes remaining in the frame.
The Wildcats held the Vikings without a make from the field for nearly six minutes and carried a 54-50 lead into the final quarter. While Cleveland State knotted the game back up at 58-58, a pair of Keswick threes helped Northwestern recapture a 64-58 lead with 5:40 to play.
"Claire really just helped open things up for everybody else," McKeown said. "She's a great weapon when we can get her the ball in the open court."
The Wildcats held the Vikings scoreless in the final 2:20 as they secured their fifth win of the season.
"This year it's been a goal to finish the game," Sullivan said. "Be tough, keep your poise, and coach keeps saying 'Until the end.' It's been ingrained in our minds. We are going to finish every game. We're not going to let up because we don't want to let ourselves down. We put in too much work to not finish these games."
Northwestern will be back in action when it opens play at the Elevance Health Fort Myers Tip-off on Friday, Nov. 28 against Abilene Christian in Fort Myers, Fla. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT on ION.
Team Stats
CSU
NU
FG%
.339
.400
3FG%
.346
.267
FT%
.826
.833
RB
28
48
TO
9
11
STL
7
2
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
6
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballWomen's Basketball - ’Cats Battle Back To Win Fifth Straight Over Cleveland State, 75-68 (11/21/25)
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