After blowing a 10-point lead to Rutgers in a 62-48 loss Wednesday, Northwestern had a chance to bounce back in a big way against Minnesota on Saturday.

In a battle between the Big Ten’s two bottom teams, the Wildcats (9-18, 2-14 Big Ten) pulled away from the Gophers (10-17, 3-13 Big Ten) in the second half to secure a 76-62 victory. 

Turnovers were the name of the game for NU. After accumulating a season-high 28 turnovers against Rutgers, the Cats turned the ball over a season-low eight times Saturday.

“We emphasized taking care of the ball in practice after Rutgers,” sophomore guard Hailey Weaver said. “We knew we needed to be better if we wanted to win games going forward.”

On the other end, NU stifled Minnesota’s offense all game. The Cats forced 25 turnovers and collected a season-high 18 steals. Weaver led the pack, finishing with a career-high six steals.

NU was able to generate takeaways largely due to an aggressive full-court press that coach Joe McKeown, with help from assistant coach Maggie Lyon, implemented with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

“When Maggie Lyon scouted Minnesota, one thing we talked about was ‘let’s look at some pressure coming at them at different points in the game,’” McKeown said. “And I think we caught them off guard a little bit.”

After going down four, the Cats went on a 9-2 run to take a three-point lead heading into the second quarter. NU maintained its lead as halftime came around, forcing seven turnovers in the second quarter.

The Cats benefited from a balanced offensive attack. Four NU players had at least six points at halftime, including sophomore forward Caileigh Walsh, who led the team with eight points.

Holding a two-point lead at the start of the third quarter, the Cats immediately went on a 13-3 run that was capped by senior guard Kaylah Rainey’s crossover and driving no-look pass to junior guard Jasmine McWilliams for a wide-open layup.

NU’s defense stepped up once again and forced nine Gopher turnovers in the third quarter, leading to a 12-point lead heading into the final period. During this time, the Cats didn’t turn the ball over once.

NU maintained its intensity through the final buzzer, sticking with its full-court press during the fourth quarter. The opening possession saw Weaver collect her sixth steal and assist junior forward Paige Mott for a layup at the other end of the court.

“(Minnesota ran) a lot of the plays that we went through in scout, which is nice because sometimes it doesn’t work out like that,” Weaver said. “Also, I feel like being in the passing lanes (and) pressuring the ball is what I’m good at. So, it turned into steals today.”

After starting the final quarter on a 7-1 run and leading by as much as 20 points, the Cats finished the game up 14 to earn their second conference win of the season.

NU consistently pounced on Minnesota’s mistakes throughout the game, ending with 28 points off turnovers compared to the Gophers’ five.

Walsh led NU’s offensive charge with 22 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting. This was her second consecutive game leading the team in scoring after her 14-point performance against Rutgers.

“I had not been shooting too well from the three point from the last couple of games. And I recognize that, and I know how important my post game is,” Walsh said. “So I got to stop just hunting threes, and I got to start playing inside-out instead of outside-in.”

After going 1-of-5 from beyond the arc in the game prior, Walsh prioritized playing down low and only attempted two three-pointers, which tied her season-low.

Also adding to the Cats’ offense was Mott with 15 points and five rebounds, and freshman guard Caroline Lau with nine points and three assists.

Though it is still at the bottom of the Big Ten, NU will have an opportunity to climb the standings against Wisconsin at home on Thursday. Having already beaten the Badgers less than a month ago, the Cats can sweep the season series with a victory.

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