Thursday, February 20
Evanston, Ill.
6:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Maryland
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern, No. 21 Maryland Clash Thursday On BTN
2/19/2025 2:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
'Cats set to host Terrapins in program's annual Pink Game
EVANSTON, Ill. (February 19, 2025) – Following a gritty road win earlier in the week, Northwestern (9-15, 2-11 B1G) returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday for its penultimate home contest of the 2024-25 season against No. 21 Maryland. The 6:30 p.m. CT tip-off will air on Big Ten Network, with Ann Schatz (play-by-play) and Shimmy Miller (analyst) on the call.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern raced out to a 16-point first-half lead before withstanding a late Rutgers charge as it picked up a 69-59 win on Monday evening inside Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, N.J.
Playing only an hour from her native Sparta, N.J., Caileigh Walsh led the 'Cats with 13 points, reaching double figures in scoring for the 16th time this season. Taylor Williams went 4-for-4 from the field in the fourth quarter en route to finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.
Kyla Jones added 12 points of her own, while Casey Harter and Melannie Daley finished with 11 points apiece. Harter played 35-plus minutes for the 10th time this season in the win. Caroline Lau handed out a game-high nine assists as Northwestern committed only seven turnovers in the victory.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
Slotted at No. 21 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll, Maryland (20-6, 10-5 B1G) has won three of its last four games, most recently dispatching Michigan, 85-77, on Monday evening at XFINITY Center. Under the direction of head coach Brenda Frese, the Terrapins' victory earlier in the week saw them reach the 20-win mark for the 20th time in Frese's 23-year tenure as head coach.
Kaylene Smikle is enjoying an outstanding junior campaign in her first season at Maryland. The Rutgers transfer leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game, a mark that ranks seventh in the Big Ten. Smikle poured in a career-high 36 points in an 81-73 win at Washington on February 9, one of nine 20-plus point showings this season.
Shyanne Sellers again finds herself amongst the conference's elite in assists. Sellers, a First Team All-Big Ten honoree a season ago, sits fifth on the league leaderboard in assists per game (4.4), in addition to averaging 14.0 points.
SERIES STUFF
Northwestern and Maryland will square off for the 16th time on Thursday evening. The Terrapins have prevailed in 14 of the previous 15 encounters, all of which have come since Maryland joined the Big Ten Conference ahead of the 2014-15 academic year.
Maryland extended its win streak against the 'Cats to six after notching a 71-58 win in the only meeting between the two teams last season on December 10, 2023 at XFINITY Center in College Park, Md.
Northwestern's lone win against Maryland came back on December 31, 2019 when the 'Cats, who were led by a combined 47 points from Lindsey Pulliam (24 points) and Veronica Burton (23 points), throttled the Terrapins, 81-58.
UP NEXT
Northwestern closes out the road portion of its 2024-25 schedule on Sunday, February 23 when it heads north to Madison, Wis. for a 2 p.m. clash with Wisconsin inside the Kohl Center.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern raced out to a 16-point first-half lead before withstanding a late Rutgers charge as it picked up a 69-59 win on Monday evening inside Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, N.J.
Playing only an hour from her native Sparta, N.J., Caileigh Walsh led the 'Cats with 13 points, reaching double figures in scoring for the 16th time this season. Taylor Williams went 4-for-4 from the field in the fourth quarter en route to finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.
Kyla Jones added 12 points of her own, while Casey Harter and Melannie Daley finished with 11 points apiece. Harter played 35-plus minutes for the 10th time this season in the win. Caroline Lau handed out a game-high nine assists as Northwestern committed only seven turnovers in the victory.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
Slotted at No. 21 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll, Maryland (20-6, 10-5 B1G) has won three of its last four games, most recently dispatching Michigan, 85-77, on Monday evening at XFINITY Center. Under the direction of head coach Brenda Frese, the Terrapins' victory earlier in the week saw them reach the 20-win mark for the 20th time in Frese's 23-year tenure as head coach.
Kaylene Smikle is enjoying an outstanding junior campaign in her first season at Maryland. The Rutgers transfer leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game, a mark that ranks seventh in the Big Ten. Smikle poured in a career-high 36 points in an 81-73 win at Washington on February 9, one of nine 20-plus point showings this season.
Shyanne Sellers again finds herself amongst the conference's elite in assists. Sellers, a First Team All-Big Ten honoree a season ago, sits fifth on the league leaderboard in assists per game (4.4), in addition to averaging 14.0 points.
SERIES STUFF
Northwestern and Maryland will square off for the 16th time on Thursday evening. The Terrapins have prevailed in 14 of the previous 15 encounters, all of which have come since Maryland joined the Big Ten Conference ahead of the 2014-15 academic year.
Maryland extended its win streak against the 'Cats to six after notching a 71-58 win in the only meeting between the two teams last season on December 10, 2023 at XFINITY Center in College Park, Md.
Northwestern's lone win against Maryland came back on December 31, 2019 when the 'Cats, who were led by a combined 47 points from Lindsey Pulliam (24 points) and Veronica Burton (23 points), throttled the Terrapins, 81-58.
UP NEXT
Northwestern closes out the road portion of its 2024-25 schedule on Sunday, February 23 when it heads north to Madison, Wis. for a 2 p.m. clash with Wisconsin inside the Kohl Center.
Players Mentioned
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