Northwestern couldn’t shake off the Sunday scaries after a tough loss to Minnesota, falling 85-60 to Illinois Thursday night at home.
The Wildcats (7-11, 0-7 Big Ten), still reeling from letting a heartbreaking 16-point lead slip away in the fourth quarter just days earlier, came out flat against the Fighting Illini (14-5, 4-4 Big Ten).
Illinois jumped on NU from the opening tip with a steal and then a jumper on the other end. However, the hosts were able to make up for their slow start with a few early buckets to stay in contention.
“Illinois came out really physical, made tough shots, really got into us defensively,” coach Joe McKeown said postgame.
At the 7:44 mark, the Fighting Illini went on a 7-0 run, and within just five minutes of game time, they led by double digits.
“We can‘t start the way we started today,” graduate student guard Kyla Jones said. “I think it’s gonna be really difficult to come back on teams in the Big Ten when you get yourself in a hole like that.”
The ’Cats couldn’t garner any semblance of offensive momentum and finished the first period shooting just 22% from the field. Meanwhile, Illinois continued their red-hot streak, with a 10-of-17 team shooting clip that included two made 3-pointers.
At the end of the first, Illinois led 27-9.
NU struck first in the second quarter, but soon after Illinois punched back, stringing together another 7-0 run to extend its lead to 23.
The ’Cats briefly found their footing with back to back buckets by graduate student forward Taylor Williams and sophomore guard Casey Harter, but despite their efforts, the Fighting Illini continued to dominate.
Graduate student forward Taylor Williams’ eight first-half points led all NU scorers, as McKeown’s group trailed 50-22 at the break. Despite a stronger second-half performance, NU failed to cut into Illinois’ convincing lead.
The ’Cats entered the fourth quarter shooting just 1-of-9 from three as freshman guard Xamiya Walton drilled the team’s first triple with 90 seconds left in the third.
“We’re not good three-point shooters,” McKeown said. “The best three-point shooters in the gym are my three assistant coaches. It’s not what we do.”
With 7:35 left to play, Walton connected with freshman guard Kat Righeimer en route to the basket and she recorded her first career points with a layup.
“Honestly seeing that, knowing how hard Kat works in practice, it was actually amazing,” Williams said about the freshman. “I know the game didn’t go the way we wanted it to but to see Kat’s hard work carry over into the game. … I’m very proud of her.”
Although NU was able to find some spark off the bench, it trailed by as many as 37 points early in the final frame.
However, NU still outscored Illinois 19-14 in the fourth, going on a 7-0 run to close out the game.
“You’re gonna have nights where things don’t go your way, but I think the reality is how you respond,” McKeown said.
NU will head to the Carver-Hawkeye Arena to face Iowa Tuesday night.
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Twitter: @Gabriella_Egozi
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