CHICAGO –– Graduate student forward Taylor Williams walked off the Joseph J. Gentile Arena court smiling after logging her best performance with Northwestern on Tuesday.
Williams scored 22 points and corralled 14 rebounds, contributing five assists in the process, as the Wildcats (2-3, 0-0 Big Ten) took down Loyola Chicago 73-64. The forward also had three steals.
Meanwhile, junior forward Grace Sullivan scored 15 points and notched seven rebounds. Senior forward Caileigh Walsh logged ten points and gathered six boards.
The three forwards combined for 47 of NU’s 73 points in its win over the Ramblers (4-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10) as the ’Cats outscored Loyola Chicago 40-20 in the paint.
“Finally, we were able to get the ball inside,” coach Joe McKeown said postgame. “I thought we did a good job pounding it in, and then we stayed on the offensive glass, which was really important for us.”
Tuesday’s matchup with the Ramblers revealed a potential path to success for NU this season: play through its forwards, especially when it has a height advantage, and the offense will flourish.
The ’Cats have won two games this season: a gnarly, back-and-forth 71-69 affair against Utah and Tuesday’s contest.
NU outscored its opponent in points in the paint in both matchups while failing to connect at an efficient clip from beyond the arc. Against Utah, the ’Cats shot 2-of-10 from deep. Tuesday, they shot 2-of-20 from three-point land.
But, thanks to the presence of Williams, Sullivan and Walsh, NU ground out wins in both contests.
“We have a number of good post players,” Williams said “We can play off of each other. A lot of our success came from getting the ball in, getting it back out, taking your time and putting our people in the right spots.”
Williams, a transfer from Michigan, has made an instant impact this season. She leads NU in points per game with 13.6 and rebounds per game with 9.4.
Her tenacity on the glass was pivotal in both contests.
Sullivan, who joined the ’Cats this year after two seasons with Bucknell, matched up against a teammate turned friendly foe in the paint Tuesday: Loyola’s Emma Theodorsson. The Rambler transferred to NU’s southern neighbor last spring after spending two seasons with Sullivan and the Bison.
But Theodorsson only played 26 minutes Tuesday, mainly because she and other Loyola bigs fell into foul trouble. The Ramblers committed 23 fouls in the loss to the ’Cats.
NU’s ability at the charity stripe, primarily channeled through Sullivan and Williams, proved critical to the victory. Sullivan went 7-of-8 from the line and Williams went 6-of-8.
Meanwhile, Walsh logged 20 minutes off the bench as she continues to work her way back from injury.
“I thought Taylor, Grace and Caileigh all did a great job not just stats-wise, but just establishing a presence in the paint,” McKeown said.
After Loyola’s 6-foot-2 forward Sitori Tanin picked up her third and fourth fouls midway through the third quarter, the NU forwards –– already possessing a significant height advantage –– went to work.
The forwards played a high-low action as Sullivan, Williams and Walsh combined for 23 of the ’Cats’ 38 second-half points. Williams said the squad figured out early on in the game that it could score in the post “pretty easily.”
“We’ve been talking as a post unit about getting rebounds, being aggressive, getting to the foul line, simplifying moves and really sticking to what we know,” Sullivan said.
NU’s roster is unique because it has three high-caliber forwards, all taller than 6-foot-2, ready to play at any moment. Considering the ’Cats’ nonconference slate, which sees them line up against mid-major squads that may not feature forwards of that height, the game plan can be rather simple: get the ball into the painted area.
Against Cornell on Sunday, Walsh and Sullivan will be taller than everyone on the Big Red’s roster. With early-season success signaling a strong frontcourt, it may be the three forwards who prove the difference between wins and losses as NU prepares for Big Ten play.
“Each and every game, each and every practice, we’re melding together even better,” Sullivan said. “The team chemistry is improving each and every day.”
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Related Stories:
— Women’s Basketball: Northwestern overcomes early road deficit, defeats Loyola Chicago 73-64
— Women’s Basketball: Northwestern falters in 25-point loss to Harvard
— Women’s Basketball: Walsh’s game-winner leads Northwestern to 71-69 nailbiter win over Utah
