Senior Leslie Dolland stood on the free throw line with one second left in the first half, poised to give the Wildcats the edge heading into the locker room.
With the Northwestern women’s basketball team’s bench on its feet and Dolland’s parents in the stands, the center sunk both shots.
It was only fitting that on Senior Night, a senior put the Cats ahead 25-24.
And the 50-46 final score was the cherry on top.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Dolland said. “This is the best way to leave basketball.”
In the last home game of the season, coach June Olkowski started five of NU’s six seniors, with the sixth checking in a few minutes later.
Although the usual NU starting five soon took over, the seniors cherished the experience of having control of the floor at the start of the game.
“This class has had it really hard,” Dolland said. “To come out with a great start and to win, this is something I’m going to remember.”
In Dolland’s freshman year, the Cats finished 3-13 in Big Ten play. They followed that with two winless conference seasons. With a 3-11 Big Ten record and two regular-season games left on the schedule, this could be the NU seniors’ best season.
“We’ve finally put Northwestern on the map,” Dolland said. “We’re finally getting the respect we’ve worked for the past four years.”
Dolland posted eight points on the night, making her NU’s second-leading scorer. But she wasn’t the only senior making big plays.
Nicole Daniels took a pass from Ashley Messenger and maneuvered her way through two defenders, making a layup and getting fouled.
Fellow senior Natalie Will sunk a critical 3-pointer with 2:04 left in the game, putting NU ahead 49-39 — the Cats’ biggest lead of the game.
Although there were only 604 spectators in attendance, the mediocre crowd didn’t hurt the special atmosphere of the night, Dolland said.
“I’m not saying we wouldn’t take 1,000 fans,” she said. “But whether there’s 1,000 people or 100, the most important thing is seeing the same people who’ve been in the stands all four years.”
Olkowski handed flowers to the seniors as they walked to the half-court circle with their parents before the game. The Cats’ underclassmen also did their part to honor their departing teammates. Sophomore Sarah Kwasinski orchestrated poster-making and baked cupcakes — complete with decorations — for the team.
The seniors returned the favor, reciting the traditional “senior speeches” in the locker room before tipoff. Dolland inspired her teammates with shouts of “kicking Indiana’s butt,” and Emily Butler recited a poem about needing to “quit talking the talk and start walking the walk.”
Butler, who has seen limited play due to a knee injury, has been an ever-present cheerleader and motivator from the bench.
“What we learn in sports is that it’s your character that shows,” Olkowski said. “And Emily has character.”
The cupcakes will be eaten and the streamers will be torn down, but NU’s veterans will always remember their last home win. And the coaches and teammates left behind won’t forget the contributions Anya Walker, Butler, Daniels, Dolland, Messenger and Will made to the team.
“It’s a pleasure to send the seniors off as the winners they are,” Olkowski said.
