Wednesday, February 12
West Lafayette, Ind.
6 p.m. CT
Northwestern
8-15,1-11Big Ten
60
at
75
Purdue
9-15,2-11Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Northwestern
19
12
8
21
60
Purdue
15
20
15
25
75
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Williams Posts Ninth Double-Double, ‘Cats Fall At Purdue, 75-60
2/12/2025 9:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Graduate student forward finishes with 17 points, 16 rebounds
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (February 12, 2025) – Taylor Williams tallied her ninth double-double of 2024-25, as Northwestern (8-15, 1-11 B1G) fell to host Purdue (9-15, 2-11 B1G) by a final count of 75-60 this evening inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
Gallery: (2-12-2025) Women's Basketball at Purdue
How It Happened
Northwestern came out firing on all cylinders in the opening frame, shooting a blistering 60 percent across the first 10 minutes. Following a Caroline Lau layup that got the 'Cats on the board first, 2-0, Williams went coast-to-coast, capping off a 6-0 spurt to put Northwestern up six, 10-4. A Sophie Swanson triple sparked a 9-0 Purdue tear to jolt the hosts in front, 13-10, but Northwestern answered, with a pair of Grace Sullivan jumpers and a Melannie Daley mid-range score lifting Northwestern back on top, as the 'Cats took a 19-15 lead into the second quarter.
Lau connected on a corner trey at the 7:18 mark to snap a brief Northwestern dry spell and give the Wildcats a 22-20 edge. Purdue found its footing on the offensive end as time wore on, rattling off seven unanswered points, the last two of which came on a Kendall Puryear layup that gave the Boilermakers their largest lead of the first half, 35-28. Northwestern stiffened on the defensive end, holding Purdue scoreless across the final 2:08 of the second quarter en route to closing within four, 35-31.
Reagan Bass hit on a long two with a minute gone to spark a quarter-opening 10-0 run by Purdue, as the Boilermakers saw their lead balloon to 45-31. Williams looked to provide Northwestern with a spark, as her steal and score trimmed the gap to 48-37. Sullivan brought the margin back down to single digits, 48-39, ahead of a driving layup from Ella Collier that sent Purdue into the fourth quarter with a 50-39 advantage.
Caileigh Walsh put up five straight points to open the final frame, with her three at the 8:46 mark prompting a Purdue timeout after the 'Cats closed within six, 50-44. Swanson buried another three on the Boilermakers' ensuing possession out of the stoppage, stretching the margin back out to nine, 53-44. Northwestern would get no closer than eight the rest of the way, as Purdue defended its home floor.
Inside The Box Score
- Williams was a force at both ends, finishing with 17 points (7-10 FGs, 3-9 FTs) and a season-high 16 rebounds.
- Williams, who also came away with a season-best five steals and tied a season high with two blocks, is now 11 rebounds shy of 1,000 for her collegiate career.
- Lau knocked down a pair of threes as part of a 12-point (5-8 FGs, 2-3 3FGs), four-assist outing.
- Sullivan scored in double figures for the 16th time this season, adding 10 points (5-13 FGs).
- For the second time in as many games, Walsh recorded three blocks, in addition to nine points (4-13 FGs, 1-3 3FGs) and five rebounds.
- Casey Harter matched her season high in assists, dishing out five helpers.
- Purdue was paced by the trio of Puryear (7-9 FGs), Swanson (6-16 FGs, 2-8 3FGs), and Rashunda Jones (5-10 FGs, 4-4 FTs), each of whom finished with 14 points.
Up Next
Northwestern visits Piscataway, N.J. on Monday, February 17 to matchup against Rutgers. The 7 p.m. CT tip-off will be televised on Big Ten Network.
How It Happened
Northwestern came out firing on all cylinders in the opening frame, shooting a blistering 60 percent across the first 10 minutes. Following a Caroline Lau layup that got the 'Cats on the board first, 2-0, Williams went coast-to-coast, capping off a 6-0 spurt to put Northwestern up six, 10-4. A Sophie Swanson triple sparked a 9-0 Purdue tear to jolt the hosts in front, 13-10, but Northwestern answered, with a pair of Grace Sullivan jumpers and a Melannie Daley mid-range score lifting Northwestern back on top, as the 'Cats took a 19-15 lead into the second quarter.
Lau connected on a corner trey at the 7:18 mark to snap a brief Northwestern dry spell and give the Wildcats a 22-20 edge. Purdue found its footing on the offensive end as time wore on, rattling off seven unanswered points, the last two of which came on a Kendall Puryear layup that gave the Boilermakers their largest lead of the first half, 35-28. Northwestern stiffened on the defensive end, holding Purdue scoreless across the final 2:08 of the second quarter en route to closing within four, 35-31.
Reagan Bass hit on a long two with a minute gone to spark a quarter-opening 10-0 run by Purdue, as the Boilermakers saw their lead balloon to 45-31. Williams looked to provide Northwestern with a spark, as her steal and score trimmed the gap to 48-37. Sullivan brought the margin back down to single digits, 48-39, ahead of a driving layup from Ella Collier that sent Purdue into the fourth quarter with a 50-39 advantage.
Caileigh Walsh put up five straight points to open the final frame, with her three at the 8:46 mark prompting a Purdue timeout after the 'Cats closed within six, 50-44. Swanson buried another three on the Boilermakers' ensuing possession out of the stoppage, stretching the margin back out to nine, 53-44. Northwestern would get no closer than eight the rest of the way, as Purdue defended its home floor.
Inside The Box Score
- Williams was a force at both ends, finishing with 17 points (7-10 FGs, 3-9 FTs) and a season-high 16 rebounds.
- Williams, who also came away with a season-best five steals and tied a season high with two blocks, is now 11 rebounds shy of 1,000 for her collegiate career.
- Lau knocked down a pair of threes as part of a 12-point (5-8 FGs, 2-3 3FGs), four-assist outing.
- Sullivan scored in double figures for the 16th time this season, adding 10 points (5-13 FGs).
- For the second time in as many games, Walsh recorded three blocks, in addition to nine points (4-13 FGs, 1-3 3FGs) and five rebounds.
- Casey Harter matched her season high in assists, dishing out five helpers.
- Purdue was paced by the trio of Puryear (7-9 FGs), Swanson (6-16 FGs, 2-8 3FGs), and Rashunda Jones (5-10 FGs, 4-4 FTs), each of whom finished with 14 points.
Up Next
Northwestern visits Piscataway, N.J. on Monday, February 17 to matchup against Rutgers. The 7 p.m. CT tip-off will be televised on Big Ten Network.
Team Stats
NU
Purdue
FG%
.397
.492
3FG%
.333
.353
FT%
.333
.818
RB
37
36
TO
13
14
STL
7
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
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