Northwestern University Athletics
Thursday, January 15
Evanston, Ill.
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Wisconsin
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern, Wisconsin Set For Thursday Night Tilt
1/14/2026 2:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
‘Cats have won 18 of last 21 meetings against Badgers
EVANSTON, Ill. (January 14, 2026) – Looking to build off an impressive showing over the weekend, Northwestern (7-10, 1-5 B1G) goes after a homestand sweep on Thursday evening when it welcomes Wisconsin to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a 7 p.m. CT tip-off.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern turned in a suffocating defensive effort, holding visiting Rutgers to 29 percent shooting from the field, as it cruised to a 73-54 win over the Scarlet Knights last Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The 'Cats were led by Casey Harter, who poured in a career-high 21 points, leading a trio of double-figure scorers for Northwestern. Grace Sullivan tallied her 12th game of 20-plus points, finishing with 20 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Since the start of Big Ten Conference play, Sullivan is averaging 24.8 points.
Caroline Lau continued to etch her name in Wildcat annals, dishing out a single-game program-record tying 16 assists. Lau also added 12 points and eight rebounds en route to securing her sixth career double-double. Tayla Thomas narrowly missed out on a double-double of her own, tearing down a game-high 16 rebounds in addition to eight points and three blocks.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
Under the direction of first-year head coach Robin Pingeton, Wisconsin has been one of the Big Ten's early surprises, racing out an 11-6 overall start that includes a 3-3 ledger in Big Ten Conference play. In their most recent action, the Badgers fell to No. 9 Michigan, 86-60, last Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Pingeton's team, which hoists up a Big Ten-high 25.7 three-point field goal attempts per game, is led by the transfer pairing of Destiny Howell and Kyrah Daniels.
Howell enters Thursday's matchup as the Badgers' leading scorer, having reached double figures in all but three games en route to averaging 13.1 points. The Howard transfer, who scored 14 points against the 'Cats last season, scored a season-best 23 points in a 76-72 win over in-state rival Green Bay on November 16. Following a two-year stint at Missouri State, Daniels has been the only Badger to start in all 17 games this season, contributing 12.8 points per game while knocking down a team-best 36 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. Daniels put up back-to-back 20-point efforts in wins over Rutgers and Penn State.
SERIES STUFF
Dating back to a 54-52 win inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on February 23, 2013, Northwestern has won 18 of its last 21 meetings with Wisconsin. The Wildcats' recent dominance against their neighbor to the north has seen Northwestern extend its lead in the all-time series to 48-34 (.585).
During head coach Joe McKeown's tenure, the 'Cats have gone 10-3 (.769) on the Welsh-Ryan Arena hardwood against Wisconsin.
In last season's matchup at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin used a third-quarter surge to create separation before holding off a late Wildcat charge as it dealt Northwestern a 73-68 setback. Caileigh Walsh put up a team-high 18 points in the defeat, while Taylor Williams added 17 points and 11 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Northwestern heads downstate on Sunday, January 18 for a 2 p.m. CT matchup with Illinois inside State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern turned in a suffocating defensive effort, holding visiting Rutgers to 29 percent shooting from the field, as it cruised to a 73-54 win over the Scarlet Knights last Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The 'Cats were led by Casey Harter, who poured in a career-high 21 points, leading a trio of double-figure scorers for Northwestern. Grace Sullivan tallied her 12th game of 20-plus points, finishing with 20 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Since the start of Big Ten Conference play, Sullivan is averaging 24.8 points.
Caroline Lau continued to etch her name in Wildcat annals, dishing out a single-game program-record tying 16 assists. Lau also added 12 points and eight rebounds en route to securing her sixth career double-double. Tayla Thomas narrowly missed out on a double-double of her own, tearing down a game-high 16 rebounds in addition to eight points and three blocks.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
Under the direction of first-year head coach Robin Pingeton, Wisconsin has been one of the Big Ten's early surprises, racing out an 11-6 overall start that includes a 3-3 ledger in Big Ten Conference play. In their most recent action, the Badgers fell to No. 9 Michigan, 86-60, last Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Pingeton's team, which hoists up a Big Ten-high 25.7 three-point field goal attempts per game, is led by the transfer pairing of Destiny Howell and Kyrah Daniels.
Howell enters Thursday's matchup as the Badgers' leading scorer, having reached double figures in all but three games en route to averaging 13.1 points. The Howard transfer, who scored 14 points against the 'Cats last season, scored a season-best 23 points in a 76-72 win over in-state rival Green Bay on November 16. Following a two-year stint at Missouri State, Daniels has been the only Badger to start in all 17 games this season, contributing 12.8 points per game while knocking down a team-best 36 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. Daniels put up back-to-back 20-point efforts in wins over Rutgers and Penn State.
SERIES STUFF
Dating back to a 54-52 win inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on February 23, 2013, Northwestern has won 18 of its last 21 meetings with Wisconsin. The Wildcats' recent dominance against their neighbor to the north has seen Northwestern extend its lead in the all-time series to 48-34 (.585).
During head coach Joe McKeown's tenure, the 'Cats have gone 10-3 (.769) on the Welsh-Ryan Arena hardwood against Wisconsin.
In last season's matchup at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin used a third-quarter surge to create separation before holding off a late Wildcat charge as it dealt Northwestern a 73-68 setback. Caileigh Walsh put up a team-high 18 points in the defeat, while Taylor Williams added 17 points and 11 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Northwestern heads downstate on Sunday, January 18 for a 2 p.m. CT matchup with Illinois inside State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.
Players Mentioned
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