Women’s Basketball

After a dramatic finish against Milwaukee two days earlier, Northwestern cruised to an easy win over Illinois-Chicago before a packed Welsh-Ryan Arena crowd Tuesday.

Forward Nia Coffey continued her dominant senior season, scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds, and every player on the Wildcats’ roster saw playing time as NU (9-1) doubled up the Flames (2-6) 88-44 for its sixth straight win.

The weekday morning contest was the annual Field Trip Day game, as 5,447 fans — many of them schoolchildren and chaperones — filled Welsh-Ryan Arena. Playing in front of the enthusiastic crowd provided a unique experience for a Cats team that typically does not draw more than 1,000 spectators.

“For the players and the fans who come, it’s a blast, and I think the players enjoy it as much as the kids do,” coach Joe McKeown said on WNUR.

On the court, UIC forward Tyra Carlsten-Handberg used her 6-foot-4 stature to notch a team-high 14 points and help give the Flames an early 9-7 advantage. The lead was short-lived however, as numerous UIC turnovers produced a 12-0 NU run to close out the first quarter, putting the Cats ahead 24-11 and burying the Flames.

“The intensity on defense we’ve been preaching, and I thought we came out and got that done,” McKeown said. “Especially in the second quarter (we) just made runs.”

The Cats forced a season-high 26 turnovers, 19 of which came off steals, leading to easy fast-break opportunities. NU finished with 27 points off turnovers and 14 fast-break points.

The transition offense was led by Coffey and senior guard Ashley Deary, a potent transition duo that has spearheaded the Cats’ defensive effort this season. Coffey’s height and Deary’s vision and finishing ability have helped NU turn defense into offense all season.

Deary, who led the nation last year in steals and entered the game ninth in the country this season with 3.7, again sparked a number of transition opportunities for the Cats. Against UIC, she recorded eight steals to go along with 9 points and nine assists, coming up just short of an unconventional triple-double.

“It’s about having defensive intensity, and I know that really drives my team and helps us get out and push in transition which is what we want to do,” Deary said.

The Cats played aggressive defense without fouling and kept UIC off the free throw line until the third quarter. Once the Flames got to the charity stripe they struggled, making just 3-of-7 in front of the noisy crowd.

Though NU can’t expect such a large turnout every game, the Cats can look to bring the intensity demonstrated Tuesday into the home stretch of non-conference play.

“The crowd really got us going and got our players jacked-up, and it showed,” McKeown said. “It’s just a lot of fun more than anything else.”

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