Big Ten teams are a different animal. They bring physicality and resilience to each matchup, forcing opponents to play consistently across four quarters. When the opposing squad has one lapse — a string
of missed shots and defensive breakdowns — that’s all the best teams need to snatch momentum and ride it to victory.
Head coach Joe McKeown knew Northwestern women’s basketball’s game against No. 23 Ohio State was important, as it gave the ‘Cats an early look into conference play. In past seasons, Big Ten games haven’t started until after New Years Day. This early-December matchup served as a prime chance to evaluate where the ‘Cats stand against a vaunted conference foe.
After the first quarter, Northwestern had every reason to feel optimistic. The ‘Cats were in control during that initial frame, playing with confidence and poise that matched the nationally ranked Buckeyes. Grace Sullivan was a wrecking machine, with her 14 points outscoring the entire OSU team and constituting all but two of NU’s points. Meanwhile, OSU was shooting just 26.7% from the field and couldn’t find any rhythm against a pesty Wildcat defense. Simply put, NU looked like the better team for the first 10 minutes.
Entering the second quarter, the tide started to shift. OSU found success in the paint and from outside the arc, while its defense stifled the ‘Cats scoring on the other end. The final four minutes were the most consequential — after being down 25-23, the Buckeyes went on an 11-0 run, including back-to-back threes that stretched their lead to 33-25 heading into the locker room.
It was a dominant 23-9 frame that reflected a common trend among Big Ten squads: short bursts can do the most damage.
Despite a valiant second half effort to keep the game within arm’s reach, the Buckeyes kept their foot on the gas pedal and refused to relinquish their advantage, one they would maintain until the clock hit zero.
“We did some things to ourselves that put Ohio State in great position to make runs,” McKeown said. “I felt like I felt like the momentum shifted, and I thought we were in complete control. We gave right back to Ohio State … and we just knew that (when) you’re playing from behind against a team that can really stretch the whole court, it’s tough to chase.”
There were many factors that can be attributed to the ‘Cats woes post-second quarter — shot selection, the team’s 19 turnovers, giving up too many offensive rebounds and lacking quality offensive production behind Sullivan.
NU also had to content with OSU’s press breaks, plays that the Buckeyes utilize more frequently than other teams to put instant pressure on offense directly from the inbound. While NU did a good job handling it to start, second-half turnovers and even a 10-second backcourt violation proved OSU’s strategy was starting to work on Northwestern.
The free throw shooting discrepancy was also striking: NU shot just shooting just 5 foul shots compared to OSU’s 23.
“It’s a big, big issue,” McKeown said. “We have to stop fouling. We cannot put them at the line and we’ve got to get to the line. We need to be more aggressive going to the basket and get into the bonus earlier.”
Despite the loss, Sullivan turned in a superstar performance, scoring 37 points while shape shifting around the defense and knocking down her jump shot in seemingly every open spot on the court. This game was a culmination of the senior’s transformation and consistency this year, as it marked not only the first time a Wildcat player scored over 35 points since 2015, but also the sixth straight game where Sullivan has scored over 2o points.
Sullivan said she only looks at the score while playing, never her own point total. It shows that her main focus lies on getting a team victory rather than individual success.
“My job is to score, it’s just part of the game,” Sullivan said. “But again, looking at the result, we wanted to win coming out of here, and we thought we had them for sure. So yes, it’s awesome, but it’s really not all that special when we didn’t get the win.”
Caroline Lau also dished out 14 assists, two shy of the program record for a single game. McKeown commended the senior for “self-correcting” during games and adjusting to make the right read when previously drawn up plays cannot materialize.
While a frustrating defeat, this game serves as a learning experience for the ‘Cats, giving them time to regroup before resuming conference play in 2026.
“We need all the players to step up besides Grace,” McKeown said. “We can do that. We can get some balance going while getting back to a Big Ten Championship level of defense. But it’s all about practicing what we preach.”
