’Cats Start Fast, Fall To No. 7 Michigan, 80-58

EVANSTON, Ill. (February 12, 2026) — A torrid first-half shooting display jolted Northwestern to a six-point halftime lead over No. 7 Michigan, but the hosts couldn't complete the top-10 upset, falling by a final score of 80-58 on Thursday night in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
 
"It was the ultimate tale of two halves," head coach Joe McKeown said. "In the first half, we were poised, ran our offense, got the ball inside out and did a good job of defending Michigan in the half court. There's an old adage in coaching — don't let your offense be your defense."
 
After the Wildcats (8-16, 2-11 Big Ten) built their largest lead of the game just over two minutes into the second half, the Wolverines (21-4, 12-2 Big Ten) battled back with a strong closing effort.
 
Northwestern took on a scoring-by-committee approach, with three Wildcats in double-figures. Senior forward Grace Sullivan scored 16 points and grabbed three rebounds. Senior guard Caroline Lau notched 16 points, four rebounds and six assists. Lau canned a team-high three triples, her fourth game with three three-point field goals this season.
 
Sophomore forward Tayla Thomas tallied 13 points and five rebounds. Thomas knocked down two treys, setting a new career high.
 
Northwestern limited Michigan to a 2-of-12 clip on threes, which marked the Wolverines' second lowest three-point field goal percentage of the season. The Wildcats also forced 12 turnovers.
 
While Michigan carried a narrow 20-17 lead into the second quarter, McKeown's squad seized momentum as the first half ran on.
 
A 9-0 run late in the second quarter helped vault Northwestern to a 37-31 halftime lead.
 
Lau paced the Wildcats' scoring effort with 12 first-half points and five assists. Thomas added 10 points in the first 20 minutes of action.
 
Northwestern shot 61 percent from the floor in the first half, including an unconscious 83 percent clip from three-point range. Defensively, the Wildcats held the Wolverines to 37.8 percent shooting and just one make from beyond the arc. The hosts forced Michigan into nine first-half miscues.
 
After the break, the Wolverines recaptured the lead and built a 56-45 advantage entering the final frame. Michigan picked up where it left off in the fourth quarter and secured its sixth win in the last seven games.
 
"I feel like we can play with anybody in the Big Ten, which means we can play with anybody in college basketball," McKeown said. "Michigan's really good. They've got a lot of weapons. I thought we had the right game plan, but, again, you've got to play all four quarters."
 
Northwestern will be back in action on the road on Sunday, Feb. 15, when it will take on Penn State. Tipoff from Rec Hall is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.