Eight months after a first-round conference tournament exit closed Northwestern’s sub-.500 2022-23 season, coach Joe McKeown and company took on Lewis in a Thursday night exhibition at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The Wildcats survived a gutsy performance from their Division II opponent, defeating the Flyers 80-54.
Although Lewis guard Taylor Gugliuzza gave her team the lead with a long-range jumper, NU built a 22-16 advantage at the first quarter’s close and didn’t look back from there.
Junior guard Melannie Daley’s team-high 10 first half points helped the ‘Cats head into the locker room with a 35-24 lead. Donning a facemask, the junior played a central role to the team’s up-tempo attack.
Four minutes into the second half, however, Daley hobbled off the court with an apparent lower-body injury. Fortunately for NU, the guard returned before the quarter’s end to help her team close the third quarter on a 13-1 run.
Carrying a 56-34 lead into the final frame, McKeown experimented with a bevy of different lineups — including a young backcourt tandem of sophomore guard Caroline Lau and freshman guard Casey Harter.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s exhibition victory over Lewis.
1. Lau, Weaver and Daley form McKeown’s new-look backcourt
When McKeown named Lau a captain as a sophomore, the move signified the point guard’s permanent ascension to the starting rotation. Although this move appeared as a no-brainer for the veteran coach, he opted to shift two role players from last season into his inaugural starting five.
Junior guard Hailey Weaver, who displayed droves of defensive dominance during the backend of Big Ten play last year, hadn’t cracked the starting lineup in 34 career games — until tonight. The Ohio native rewarded McKeown’s decision with the team’s inaugural basket.
Although she started nine games in her freshman season, Daley made just nine appearances last year, before an injury ended her sophomore campaign. Now healthy and back in McKeown’s gameplan, she affords NU a two-way presence it often lacked last season.
2. Early turnovers a cause for concern for the ‘Cats
In similar fashion to its exhibition game last fall, NU turned the ball over at an elevated rate early on in the matchup, coughing up five first quarter turnovers.
Junior forward Caileigh Walsh didn’t get off to the start that she likely would’ve wanted, registering two turnovers in just three minutes of the first frame and hampered by foul trouble.
The trend continued in the second quarter, with missed passes and offensive miscues leading to eight second quarter turnovers. Although the ‘Cats posted 13 first half turnovers — exceeding McKeown’s typical mantra of “10 turnovers or less” in an entire game — Daley recorded just one first half turnover on a team-high 17 minutes.
3. Weaver, NU defense put Flyers on their heels
After featuring sparingly in last season’s non-conference slate, Weaver’s defensive prowess gradually paved the way for the guard to play an extended role off the bench. And she more than made up for lost time, nabbing 14 steals in the final four games of the season.
With Weaver’s innate ability to jump into passing lanes and intercept opposing feeds providing an instant energizer for the ‘Cats, her backcourt teammates upped their own pressure on the defensive end.
The junior tallied two steals in the game’s first quarter, adding a third just minutes into the second half. While her minutes were somewhat limited by foul trouble, Weaver’s tenacity may serve as a telltale sign for her team’s success down the stretch.
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