Northwestern took the lead early against SIU-Edwardsville and never gave it up, holding on to a 64-51 win Sunday.
The Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) turned up the physicality against a team that couldn’t keep up, with most of their offensive joy in the first quarter coming inside the paint. NU slightly varied its shooting as the game went on and continued to hold the Cougars (2-1, 0-0 Ohio Valley) to a wildly inconsistent 29.2% from the field.
Senior forward Grace Sullivan carried the ’Cats’ offense throughout the afternoon, cementing her role as the team’s top option and finishing with 25 points. NU’s next-highest scorer, graduate student guard Tate Lash, only had 11.
After taking a 27-17 lead to the intermission, NU never let the Cougars get within fewer than eight in the second half as Sullivan’s masterclass kept them out of reach.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s cagey victory over SIUE:
1: Paint play builds strong early lead
The ’Cats started Sunday’s game off by punishing the Cougars with their physical play, especially in the paint. NU’s first 13 points came directly as a result of inside play, either from layups, mid-range jumpers or free throws earned from contact in the paint.
Sullivan got in on the action early, scoring the first four points for NU in a quarter where she finished with eight points while shooting 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from the line. Her partner in the paint, sophomore forward Tayla Thomas, provided the playmaking, setting Sullivan up for an easy layup off a fastbreak early in the quarter to put the ’Cats up 4-0.
At the end of the first quarter, NU had not attempted a single 3-pointer. Coach Joe McKeown said that was intentional, as the team emphasized “pounding the ball inside today,” he said.
“(We were) taking advantage of our height advantage, more importantly, just playing inside out,” McKeown said.
The ’Cats used more of the court in the second quarter, with Thomas putting up and sinking a rare 3-pointer. However, the paint continued to be Sullivan’s best friend as she built on her strong early performance, shooting perfectly in the second quarter to add six points to her team-leading total.
Lash provided the secondary scoring for NU, capitalizing on Sullivan’s presence in the paint to extend the ’Cats’ lead from outside the purple. NU took just three 3-point attempts in the first half, a noticeable difference from its performance against IU-Indianapolis, when it shot an inefficient 5-for-25 from distance.
2: Aggressive defense forces Cougars misses
While the ’Cats focused their chances in the purple, the Cougars attempted to keep the pressure up beyond the arc. SIUE used the pick-and-roll to their advantage, screening NU defenders almost every possession and creating open 3-point shots.
However, the Cougars were unable to capitalize early, missing nine of their first 10 threes. The struggles continued with only Kiyoko Proctor and Lauren Miller making threes in the first half as the team shot a combined 3-for-16 from beyond the arc.
NU’s press defense sent SIUE scrambling, leading to many of those shots being rushed as the Cougars struggled to break through the ’Cats’ defensive wall. NU forced six turnovers and held SIUE to just 19.4% shooting in the first half.
Several times throughout the games, the Cougars would be left with no choice but to throw up a 3-pointer as the ’Cats’ defense limited their ability to use the paint and mid-range shots to their advantage. SIUE attempted just nine first-half shots from inside the arc, only hitting two.
The Cougars continued to struggle offensively in the second half, finishing the contest an abysmal 29.2% from the field and 8-for-29 from three.
- Sullivan dominant as scoring depth only shows up late
Sullivan continued her strong start to the season by scoring 39% of the team’s points. She was a force to be reckoned with all over the court, putting up 25 points and six rebounds while shooting 10-for-14.
Her impact could be felt every possession, with her dominant performance early creating space for her teammates to create offensive opportunities throughout the second half.
Sullivan’s goal throughout the game? “Hunt out the things that I know I’m good at,” she said.
However, NU’s offensive output was limited to just four players until 5:55 in the 3rd quarter, when senior guard Caroline Lau capitalized on a rebound to make a second-chance shot. This continued a trend from the opener against IU-Indianapolis, where only seven players scored.
Lau put up her first points of the season, ending her seven shot cold streak to open the year.
“She’s trying to do what you need to run our team, but also knowing that she has to be a scoring threat,” McKeown said.
As the third quarter progressed, the team spread the points around, with graduate transfer student forward Deija Turner and junior forward Crystal Wang joining the offensive party as the ’Cats extended their lead to 16.
The fourth quarter truly showed what this team could do without needing to rely solely on Sullivan. Thomas and Lau stepped up throughout the quarter, with the two of them providing most of the offense. Lash continued to flourish in her role as a secondary scorer, adding 11 points, including an and-one that showcased her speed and offensive awareness.
Sophomore guard Xamiya Walton, coming off her game-winning shot against IU-Indianapolis, was unable to continue her strong play, going 0-for-3 from the field and only scoring 3 points from free throws.
NU returns to action Friday, taking on Maryland Eastern Shore at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The game will begin at 6:30 pm.
Email: [email protected]
X: @YoniZacks
Related Stories:
— Women’s Basketball: Walton shines in season-opening win over IU-Indianapolis
— Rapid Recap: Northwestern 67, IU-Indianapolis 64
— Rapid Recap: Northwestern takes down Lewis 82-49 in exhibition
