Northwestern University Athletics
Sunday, January 11
Evanston, Ill.
2 p.m. CT
Northwestern
7-10,1-5Big Ten
73
vs
54
Rutgers
8-9,0-6Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Rutgers
19
12
10
13
54
Northwestern
15
24
18
16
73
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Harter’s Career Day Guides ’Cats Past Rutgers, 73-54
1/11/2026 5:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Junior guard finishes with 21 points, Lau matches single-game assist record
EVANSTON, Ill. (January 11, 2026) — Junior guard Casey Harter recorded a career-high 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting as Northwestern defeated Rutgers, 73-54, on Sunday afternoon in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"She does all the dirty work, grinds, rebounds, dives on the floor and is one of the most underrated players in the Big Ten," head coach Joe McKeown said of Harter. "Even though she's a junior, it feels like she's been here forever. For her to just take a deep breath, relax, and just play was great to see."
The Wildcats (7-10, 1-5 Big Ten) put forth a commanding defensive effort to nab their first conference victory over the Scarlet Knights (8-9, 0-6 Big Ten). Northwestern held Rutgers to a 29.1% field goal percentage and turned over the visitors on 14 occasions.
"We got out, rebounded, and ran," McKeown said. "There's a lot of good basketball left for us, and today we just needed the win. Hopefully it will give us some momentum out of a long two weeks. You just got to be resilient. We keep preaching that every day, and hopefully it will carry over."
Despite facing consistent double teams, senior forward Grace Sullivan scored 20 points on 10-of-19 shooting.
Senior guard Caroline Lau ran the floor with 12 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 16 assists. Her 16 helpers tied the Wildcats' single-game program record.
"Caroline played one of the best games of the season for her," McKeown said. "You want your point guard to make everyone better, and that's what she did today."
Sunday marked Lau's seventh double-digit assist outing and second double-double in 2025-26.
"We were really good in transition and when [Lau] wants to, she can just accelerate," McKeown said. "She's probably faster without the ball."
Sophomore forward Tayla Thomas pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds, helping the hosts win the battle on the glass, 45-33, and tallied three blocks.
Northwestern held Rutgers without a make from the field in the first quarter's final three minutes and trailed 19-15 at the frame's conclusion. Harter and Sullivan each chipped in six points on a combined 6-of-8 clip.
The Wildcats took their first lead of the game, 31-29, with 3:54 remaining in the first half and surged ahead 37-29 on the back of a 13-0 run. Northwestern led 39-31 entering halftime, outscoring the Scarlet Knights by a 15-2 margin in the second quarter's final 5:28.
The hosts built on their advantage after the break, pushing the lead up to 57-41 ahead of the fourth quarter. Northwestern didn't relent in the final 10 minutes, securing a Big Ten win in emphatic fashion.
"It's just one of those feel-good games that we needed as a team," McKeown said. "We've been playing really hard, practicing hard. Today we played with great energy, and I was really proud of our team."
The Wildcats will be back in action at home against Wisconsin on Thursday, January 15. Tip-off from Welsh-Ryan Arena is slated for 7 p.m. CT.
"She does all the dirty work, grinds, rebounds, dives on the floor and is one of the most underrated players in the Big Ten," head coach Joe McKeown said of Harter. "Even though she's a junior, it feels like she's been here forever. For her to just take a deep breath, relax, and just play was great to see."
Knight Night ?? pic.twitter.com/KSKljfYsHS
— Northwestern Women's Basketball (@nuwbball) January 11, 2026
The Wildcats (7-10, 1-5 Big Ten) put forth a commanding defensive effort to nab their first conference victory over the Scarlet Knights (8-9, 0-6 Big Ten). Northwestern held Rutgers to a 29.1% field goal percentage and turned over the visitors on 14 occasions.
"We got out, rebounded, and ran," McKeown said. "There's a lot of good basketball left for us, and today we just needed the win. Hopefully it will give us some momentum out of a long two weeks. You just got to be resilient. We keep preaching that every day, and hopefully it will carry over."
Despite facing consistent double teams, senior forward Grace Sullivan scored 20 points on 10-of-19 shooting.
Senior guard Caroline Lau ran the floor with 12 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 16 assists. Her 16 helpers tied the Wildcats' single-game program record.
"Caroline played one of the best games of the season for her," McKeown said. "You want your point guard to make everyone better, and that's what she did today."
Sunday marked Lau's seventh double-digit assist outing and second double-double in 2025-26.
"We were really good in transition and when [Lau] wants to, she can just accelerate," McKeown said. "She's probably faster without the ball."
Sophomore forward Tayla Thomas pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds, helping the hosts win the battle on the glass, 45-33, and tallied three blocks.
Northwestern held Rutgers without a make from the field in the first quarter's final three minutes and trailed 19-15 at the frame's conclusion. Harter and Sullivan each chipped in six points on a combined 6-of-8 clip.
The Wildcats took their first lead of the game, 31-29, with 3:54 remaining in the first half and surged ahead 37-29 on the back of a 13-0 run. Northwestern led 39-31 entering halftime, outscoring the Scarlet Knights by a 15-2 margin in the second quarter's final 5:28.
The hosts built on their advantage after the break, pushing the lead up to 57-41 ahead of the fourth quarter. Northwestern didn't relent in the final 10 minutes, securing a Big Ten win in emphatic fashion.
"It's just one of those feel-good games that we needed as a team," McKeown said. "We've been playing really hard, practicing hard. Today we played with great energy, and I was really proud of our team."
The Wildcats will be back in action at home against Wisconsin on Thursday, January 15. Tip-off from Welsh-Ryan Arena is slated for 7 p.m. CT.
Team Stats
RU
NU
FG%
.291
.458
3FG%
.211
.250
FT%
.643
.652
RB
33
45
TO
14
19
STL
13
8
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
7
Pts
20
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
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