As the game had lost its meaning before halftime, Northwestern’s downward trend continued and their hope of the Big Ten Tournament spiralled.
The Wildcats (8-19, 2-14 B1G) suffered a 92-65 loss to Illinois (19-7, 9-7 B1G). This marked NU’s ninth consecutive loss overall and their eight straight against the Fighting Illini.
Northwestern’s offense was led by Tayla Thomas, who put together one of her strongest performances of the season with 25 points and six rebounds. Grace Sullivan added 13 points,
while Xamiya Walton had 12. The ‘Cats struggled mightily on the boards, getting outrebounded 37-19 overall. While NU shot a respectable 46% from the field, it couldn’t keep up with the Fighting Illini’s scoring from deep, where they went an incredible 12-of-18.
Thomas won the tip, but the ‘Cats’ first possession ended with an offensive foul from Casey Harter. Illinois’ Destiny Jackson scored the first point of the game. After Grace Sullivan’s airball, the Fighting Illini added an and-one by Jasmine Brown-Hagger through a second-chance putback. Harter’s ensuing turnover led to an Illinois’ 7-0 run in the first two minutes.
Thomas staunched Northwestern’s blood with a three-pointer on top of the key before coach Joe McKeown subbed Sullivan out with only three minutes into the game. Cearah Parchment buried a straightaway three in response. Thomas then led the offense with five straight points, cutting the deficit at 10-7 at the 5:18 mark of the first quarter.
The Fighting Illini then stormed back with a fastbreak pullup jumper by Maddie Webber. Jackson followed with another pullup jumper from the left post. Thomas then powered downhill for a driving layup, but her lone power couldn’t stop Illinois from extending its advantage at 17-9 after Berry Wallace’s and-one finish.
With nearly three minutes left before the second, the Fighting Illini capped off a double-digits lead over the ‘Cats after Wallace’s triple. Xamiya Walton and Kat Righeimer pistolled two consecutive treys for a single-digit deceit of nine. Illinois remained a hot hand from deep after Webber responded with another shot on the three-point line. Caroline Lau drew a shooting foul beyond the arc and made two of three shots from the line. Northwestern trailed by 17-27 for the first quarter.
Sullivan returned in the period and scored a turnaround jumper, Thomas followed with another fadeaway jumper in the paint for a seven-point game. After Brown-Hagger’s fastbreak layup, Thomas beat the defender through her body and footwork on the post for another two. Northwestern then trimmed the gap into five points after Sullivan triggered a long two jumper.
But the Fighting Illini immediately fought back with five points within 30 seconds and regained a 10-point lead. Sullivan responded with her signaled fadeaway on the weakside, but the ‘Cats lagged up to 13 points as Wallace and Parchment added five points before a timeout.
Wallace capitalized on a Northwestern turnover and fired another three-pointer. Lau fed Harter for a cutting layup through a transition. Sullivan spinned inward and drew a foul through an attack, but missed one free throw later on. Later in the period, the ‘Cats fell apart with a over 20-point gap after Illinois cruised with a 10-0 run. Walton delivered to Thomas for a strong two. The Fighting Illini beat the buzzer via Naomi Benson’s second-chance finish, cushioning the ‘Cats 57-33 before the second half.
Sullivan opened the third quarter with an and-one drive but missed the bonus. Lau threw a long dime to Sullivan for a transition finish. After Jackson’s triple, Sullivan and Thomas combined for four points as the ‘Cats trailed by 21 points. Parchment beat a rebound battle with Thomas and finished a second-chance, orchestrating the next four-point play with a field goal and an assist for a 27-point lead over Northwestern.
After a timeout, the Fighting Illini kept on attacking for the rest of the third. Jackson and Brown-Hagger weave through Northwestern’s defense for strong downhill finishes in two consecutive possessions. Lety Vasconcelos dug deep into the paint and put up a hook shot, enlarging the deficit to 33 points. Harter knocked down a jumper from the left side. She and Thomas then fought through bodies for four free-throw points. Northwestern trailed 47-77 before the final frame.
Northwestern opened the fourth period with two three-pointers from Walton and Thomas. Lau ripped off the defensive line and drew a foul throughout the drive, scoring two from the line. Harter and Thomas then followed with another four-point addition from the free-throw line. Before sending its second unit off the bench, Illinois then awoke with a five-point prowess by Parchment and Webber in the fourth quarter’s midpoint.
The ‘Cats also deployed their second unit in the remaining four minutes. Parchment knocked down a three-pointer for Illinois’ 90th point of the game. Walton impressed with her footwork, faking out the defender for a layup. Crystal Wang drew a foul and put up two shots from the line. Walton found a lane and accelerated for a foul and nailed two free throws. Northwestern eventually dropped 92-65 in regulation.
The ‘Cats will next head to face No. 15 Maryland on Wednesday for their final road game of the season. Tipoff is at 5:3o p.m. CT.
