Wildcats’ Valiant Comeback Comes Up Short At UIC, 76-71

CHICAGO (November 8, 2026) – Northwestern (1-2) battled until the very end, whittling a 21-point second-quarter deficit down to three in the fourth quarter, but saw time run out on its comeback in a 76-71 setback to UIC (2-1) this afternoon inside Credit Union 1 Arena on Chicago’s West Side.

How It Happened
Following a slow offensive start for both teams, Jasmyn Cooper-Derba got the ‘Cats on the board first just under two and a half minutes in, driving inside to make it 2-0. UIC responded with a 12-2 tear capped off by a Julia Coleman bucket that gave the hosts a 12-4 lead at the 4:26 mark of the opening frame. Xamiya Walton, who made her 2026-27 debut this afternoon, knocked down a triple to cut the gap to 12-7, but UIC continued to operate at an efficient clip as it held a 20-11 lead after the opening 10 minutes.

After seeing the UIC lead grow to 32-11 with 6:34 to play in the first half, Lily Carmody rattled off three makes from beyond the three-point arc, the last of which pulled the ‘Cats to within 40-26 with 1:15 remaining. Casey Harter hit on a trey of her own shortly after to make it 43-29, but Northwestern would get no closer ahead of the intermission as it headed to the locker room trailing, 45-29.

Northwestern wasted no time in starting its rally coming out of halftime, opening the third quarter on an 11-2 run that was bookended by a pair of Cooper-Derba baskets, the second of which made it a seven-point game, 47-40, at the 4:30 mark. An old-fashioned three-point play from Camdyn Nelson trimmed the margin to five, 52-47, before a driving score by Harter got the ‘Cats within one possession, 52-49. UIC answered with five straight to reestablish an eight-point lead, 57-49, but Cooper-Derba closed the frame with a conventional three-point play of her own to claw Northwestern back within five, 57-52, at the end of the third quarter.

Cooper-Derba continued to will Northwestern forward, with her second-chance bucket with 7:30 to play again making it a three-point game, 59-56. The sophomore forward went back to work inside near the midway point of the frame, converting in the paint to snap a brief 5-0 UIC spurt and cut the margin to six, 64-58. Northwestern battled back within three once again in the closing seconds, but UIC was able to ice the game from the free throw line.

Inside The Box Score
- Cooper-Derba shattered her five-day old career high, closing the afternoon with 22 points (8-14 FGs, 6-8 FTs), 18 of which came in the second half, in addition to nine rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal.
- Harter came up just four points shy of matching her career high, putting up 17 points (7-15 FGs, 1-6 3FGs, 2-2 FTs), four rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
- Carmody chipped in 13 points (5-12 FGs, 3-5 3FGs), matching a career-high with three makes from distance, while Nelson reached double figures in scoring for a second consecutive outing, adding 10 points (2-6 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 5-5 FTs), five rebounds, and a team-high five assists.
- Northwestern’s second-half push was fueled by its work on the defensive end, as it held UIC to a 29.6 percent clip (8-for-27) from the field across the final 20 minutes.
- Coleman led all scorers with 29 points (11-18 FGs, 7-11 FTs) for the Flames.

Up Next
Northwestern will be back in action next, traveling to White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. for a pair of matchups as part of the GoMart Greenbrier Tip-Off. The Wildcats will clash with No. 24/24 West Virginia in a 4:30 p.m. CT tip-off on Friday, November 13, before meeting Appalachian State at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday, November 14.