'Cats Ride Balanced Attack, Defense To 71-39 Exhibition Win Over Lewis

EVANSTON, Ill. (October 30, 2026) – Four Wildcats scored in double figures, as Northwestern turned in a stout defensive showing en route to a 71-39 win over Lewis in its lone exhibition contest this evening inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.

How It Happened
Casey Harter got the ‘Cats off and running only 15 seconds in, connecting from distance to put Northwestern on top, 3-0.  Following back-to-back Mallory Ramage treys that gave the visitors a 6-3 lead, the Wildcats clamped down on the defensive end, holding Lewis scoreless for the final 8:45 of the opening frame.  A Jasmyn Cooper-Derba fastbreak score put Northwestern back on top, 7-6, ahead of another Harter triple that stretched the lead to 14-6 as the ‘Cats closed the first quarter on a 17-0 surge to establish a 20-6 lead.

Cooper-Derba continued to flex her muscle inside in the second quarter, rattling off five straight points to stretch the gap to 31-10 at the 4:24 mark.  Brooke Golden added a bucket of her own in the paint to make it 35-13, but Lewis closed the first half with a 7-0 spurt to trim Northwestern’s lead to 35-20 at halftime.

Triples on consecutive trips from Harter and Lily Carmody quickly reestablished a 20-point margin, 41-21, with 90 seconds gone in the third quarter.  Northwestern kept its foot on the accelerator, with a Harter jumper in the closing minute of the frame pushing the lead to 51-25.  Lewis got no closer than 20 the rest of the night as the Wildcats cruised to an exhibition victory.

Inside The Box Score
- Harter led all scorers on the evening, pouring in a game-high 24 points (9-18 FGs, 4-8 3FGs, 2-2 FTs).  The senior guard also made her presence felt defensively, racking up three blocks.
- Carmody chipped in 15 points (3-9 FGs, 1-1 3FGs, 8-10 FTs), in addition to eight rebounds, two blocks, and three steals.
- Camdyn Nelson flirted with a triple-double, closing her night with 10 points (4-7 FGs, 2-2 FTs), eight rebounds, and eight assists.
- Cooper-Derba rounded out a quartet of ‘Cats in double figures with 10 points (4-11 FGs, 2-3 FTs) and five rebounds.
- Northwestern turned in a stifling defensive effort, limiting Lewis to just under 25 percent (12-of-49) from the field.
- The Wildcats forced 18 Lewis turnovers, turning those miscues into 23 points on the other end of the floor.
- Ramage led Lewis with 15 points (3-6 FGs, 2-2 3FGs, 7-8 FTs).

Up Next
Northwestern officially opens the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, November 3, as it hosts Milwaukee in a 7 p.m. CT tip-off inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.