Northwestern women’s basketball acquired three transfers this offseason: graduate student guard Kyla Jones, graduate student forward Taylor Williams and junior forward Grace Sullivan.
Following the Wildcats’ 88-64 win over Wisconsin-Parkside Sunday, the three appear primed to make an instant impact during the regular season.
Jones led the NU charge with 18 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the field. Williams dropped 16 and nabbed 16 boards, while Sullivan scored 14 points of her own.
“These guys, they bring a hunger that we really love, and they bring it every day,” coach Joe McKeown said. “They’re going to be great locker room leaders.”
Against its Division II foes, who journeyed about an hour south from Kenosha County, Wisconsin, the ’Cats took the court for the first time in their 2024-25 campaign.
Though the Rangers struck first via a two-point shot by Sheridan Flauger, Sullivan answered, scoring NU’s first six points. The Bucknell transfer cooled off after a hot first quarter, finishing 6-for-15 from the field overall Sunday.
NU established a firm grip on the lead via a 15-3 run midway through the first quarter and never looked back. Jones led the way in the first quarter, demonstrating what she will bring to the ’Cats roster – a physical guard unafraid to drive to the paint.
“I thought (the game) went pretty well,” Jones said. “I thought the team did good. Definitely, some things that we need to clean up, but that’s what exhibition games are for … Overall, we had a pretty good performance.”
The thing Jones likely thought needed to be cleaned up: NU’s turnover output. Echoing last year’s struggles, the ’Cats turned the ball over 18 times on Sunday.
McKeown said his squad was sloppy at times and that Parkside always gives NU a challenge, referencing a game against the Rangers several years ago in which he had to sub in ’Cats legend Veronica Burton to preserve the lead.
NU was able to capitalize on the Rangers’ errors throughout the game, logging 24 points off of forced turnovers and 29 fast break points. Williams took the ball coast-to-coast on several occasions, displaying a skill in transition that can provide a wrinkle to the Michigan transfer’s game.
Sophomore guard Casey Harter, who started 16 games as a freshman down the back half of the ’Cats’ 2023-24 campaign, started Sunday and delivered a strong performance. Harter shot 3-for-4 from three-point range and pitched in 16 points, adding two rebounds and two assists. She also defended the entire court at certain points in Sunday’s matchup.
Harter said an aspect of growth she’s seen this offseason is having more trust in her teammates. McKeown lauded her ability to play three separate positions and called her “tough as nails.”
“She runs the floor as hard as anybody, I think, in the Big Ten,” McKeown said. “She defends every possession, and that’s how she practices.”
Since the game was an exhibition, no stats mattered to anyone. Nor did the game itself, which was relatively uneventful.
The ’Cats maintained their lead through the entire game as McKeown rotated through the bench. Ten of 15 NU players took the court Sunday.
Notable absences included senior forward Caileigh Walsh and senior guard Melannie Daley, who were the top two scorers for the ’Cats last season. McKeown joked they had “previous engagements” before saying “they’ll be fine.”
Next up for NU: the season opener against Illinois State, tipping off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
“We have all these weapons,” McKeown said. “It’s just going to take a minute to get everybody on the court.”
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