Northwestern women’s basketball knows it has something to prove.
After multiple seasons without substantial growth, the ‘Cats challenged themselves to approach this season with greater assiduity and work
ethic not just on the court, but off the court.
“We have a lot of gym rats this season, and you’ll hear that term used a lot through this season,” Sullivan said. “Everyone is in the gym all the time, on off days, on days we have practice, even before games.”
That dedication translated to dominance Saturday afternoon, as Northwestern outlasted Lewis 82-49 through a smothering defensive performance. The ‘Cats held Lewis to just 28% shooting from the field, forced 23 turnovers and 11 steals, while relinquishing less then 15 points in three of the four quarters. They clogged the paint, closed out perimeter shots, stifled Lewis’ ball movement and ensured the Flyers would never find an offensive rhythm.
Head coach Joe McKeown recalled the best teams in Northwestern’s history were led to success based on the defense’s quality. He acknowledged that the team had defensive breakdowns last season, but this year’s players are buying into that side of the ball.
“They’re tired of me yelling at him about getting back on defense, but it’s been encouraging,” head coach Joe McKeown said.
Thomas said the team’s identity is not yet concrete, as the ‘Cats grapple with losing multiple star players from last season and an influx of new faces to work into their apparatus. But Thomas said performances on defense like these will help the team formulate its synergy and brand.
“Our defensive showing was really good, we were aggressive in our our full court man-to-man and making sure they couldn’t get up and beat us down the floor,” Thomas said. “I think today was a great start to look back on and kind of like take note and figure out who we want to be.”
The ‘Cats took advantage of their stout defense to find opportunities offensively, and they cashed in. The defense-to-offense was paramount all afternoon, as many of the 23 forced turnovers resulted in buckets in transition or open shots from deep.
Grace Sullivan led the charge with 23 points, five rebounds and five blocks. Tayla Thomas also added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Having a full Northwestern season under their belts, both Sullivan and Thomas said they feel far more comfortable within NU’s system and have developed strong chemistry with each other.
“Last season, we definitely got a taste of it and saw we would work very well the next year,” Sullivan said. “Our coaches say ‘there’s not one without the other’ so we’ve really learned to feed of each other and I think that connection is only going to grow as we get into the season.”
Sulivan said much of the team’s overall chemistry has been sparked by social activities between team members, including going to the mall, hanging out in each other’s apartments and eating Crumbl.
As one of the few seniors on this squad, Sullivan said she’s leaned into her role as a veteran leader to help the new players feel welcomed and adjusted to the ‘Cats’ environment.
“I’ve always been taught that it’s the little things that add up to the larger things,” Sullivan said. “Going hard in every drill, patting my teammates on the back when they miss a shot, those things create wins.”
That message has worked on fifth-year transfer Tate Lash, who posted 10 points and five assists in her Wildcat debut, with four of those coming in the first half’s offensive outburst.
Lash was one of NU’s most promising additions this year, and she’s impressed both McKeown and her teammates with her versatility as a player.
“Tate has really been a great addition, because she can play three positions on the perimeter, can score, defend, rebound and just gives you that dimension,” McKeown said.
McKeown recognized that Northwestern’s performance wasn’t entirely perfect. It shot 3-for-18 from deep, marks similar to last season’s three-point struggles, which McKeown said was detrimental to the team’s success in close games. The turnovers were also an issue particularly in the first half, as the ‘Cats committed eight giveaways and sometimes lacked cohesion offensively.
While the nuts and bolts may need to be tightened up as the squad enters regular season play, Sullivan described Saturday’s performance as a confidence booster that illustrates the group’s chemistry, hard work and resilience it displayed throughout the offseason.
“The energy that we have, you can tell we’re all just feeding off of each other and that excitement,” Sullivan said. “We know we can be a great team, we see it every day during practice and believe we showed that tonight.”
