Northwestern’s hunt for its first Big Ten victory of the season hit another roadblock in a Thursday tilt against Illinois.
From the opening tip, the Fighting Illini (14-5, 4-4 Big Ten) dominated, jumping out to a double-digit lead by the first media timeout, as the Wildcats (7-11, 0-7 Big Ten) struggled to keep pace.
Illinois controlled nearly every aspect of the game, steamrolling to the final buzzer and handing the hosts a 85-60 loss.
The Cats’ couldn’t capitalize on their first possession, and after a turnover by junior guard Caroline Lau on an errant pass, Illinois quickly converted a fast-break layup to set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Graduate student guard Taylor Williams and junior forward Grace Sullivan combined for 13 of NU’s 22 first half points.
Graduate student guard Kyla Jones led all NU scorers on the day, amassing 14 total points.
When a blowout loss seemed all but inevitable, McKeown used the opportunity to give his younger players substantial playing time. 12 unique players entered Thursday’s game for NU, with nine of them contributing points.
Here are three key takeaways from Northwestern’s resounding loss to Illinois:
1. Early hole proves too deep to escape
By the time the first quarter ended, Illinois had already built a commanding 27-9 lead, outscoring NU by three times its output.
The ’Cats shot just 4-of-18 in the opening period, digging themselves into a hole they could never climb out of.
At halftime, Illinois had already racked up 50 points, while NU limped into the break with a mere 9-of-13 shooting performance and an 0-of-7 mark from beyond the arc.
2. Digging deep into bench
Down by 28 at halftime, McKeown looked deep into his rotation to try to garner positive momentum — even calling on freshman guard Kat Righeimer late in the third to play a career-high 13 minutes — 10 minutes more than she had played in any other game all year.
Freshman guard Xamiya Walton also played a career-high 21 minutes, scoring 5 points, including NU’s first made 3-pointer of the contest.
In addition to her scoring contributions, Walton shouldered the majority of the ball-handling responsibilities during her time on the floor — an unusual deviation from McKeown’s typical reliance on Lau as pointguard.
With 7:35 left to play, Walton connected with Righeimer on a fastbreak opportunity and the freshman contributed her first career points.
Righeimer ended the night with 7 points, including one of NU’s two 3-pointers.
As NU continues to look for its first conference win, sparks from the younger members of the roster could be what the team needs to make a dent.
3. Struggling to find offensive rhythm
Illinois found open shot after open shot Thursday, exploiting NU’s defensive lapses throughout the game.
The ’Cats couldn’t find any offensive consistency, with extended scoring droughts hampering their chances.
While Illinois made baskets for all over the floor look effortless, NU found its small glimpses of shooting success in the paint, with 16 of its 22 first-half points coming inside the post.
The Fighting Illini maintained their dominant lead after the break, though they only outscored the ’Cats by two points in the third quarter and NU outscored them by five points in the final frame.
Following the loss, the ’Cats will head to the Hawkeye State to face Iowa Tuesday.
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Twitter: @AudreyPachuta
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