Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
15-2,5-1Big Ten
#15 Indiana
14-4,4-2Big Ten
Wildcats Stage Gutsy Comeback at No. 15 Indiana
1/16/2020 11:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Northwestern improved to 15-2 overall and 5-1 in conference. They are now tied with Rutgers and Iowa atop the Big Ten standings one third of the way through conference play.
The 'Cats earned their second ranked win of the season after defeating then-No. 12 Maryland on Dec. 31. Head Coach Joe McKeown has now won three straight games against the Hoosiers.
Four Wildcats finished in double figures. Senior Abi Scheid finished the game with 16 points and seven boards. Veronica Burton scored 15 points, going 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, and added eight boards and five steals. Senior Abbie Wolf and junior Lindsey Pulliam scored 13 and 12, respectively, making this the 13th game in a row that Pulliam has finished in double figures.
The Northwestern defense was up to the task, as usual, snatching 13 steals and forcing 21 total turnovers. Burton and sophomore guard Sydney Wood snatched five and four steals, respectively. Wood's third steal led to the game-tying layup and and-one, and Burton's fifth steal gave Northwestern the lead and eventual win in overtime with 32 seconds left.
Scheid and Pulliam led the Wildcats in the first half, combining for 13 of Northwestern's 24 points. Pulliam finished the half scoring seven points and dishing out three assists. Scheid added 6 points on impressive 3-of-5 shooting and two boards.
In the second half, Wolf reached double figures, scoring 10 despite fouling out. Burton was the Wildcats' next woman up in the frame finishing with nine. The 'Cats were active in the paint, collecting 24 of their 38 points in the key. Indiana however, held a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
As the game wore on, Northwestern was down 62-59 with 56 seconds left. After a Sydney Wood steal, the 'Cats got out on the fast break with Veronica Burton converting the layup and the and-on,e knotting it up at 62-62 with 28 seconds left. After incredible on-ball defense on the other end, the game headed into overtime.
In overtime, the Wildcats trailed for most of the five minutes. However, a three-pointer from Abi Scheid with 1:03 left to play started a late 6-0 run for the 'Cats to win the game. Veronica Burton followed up Scheid's triple with a steal and breakaway which led to two free throws and the lead for the #B1GCats. Indiana had two opportunities to reclaim the lead, but thanks to a game-sealing steal by junior Jordan Hamilton, Northwestern retained their lead.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will return home to Evanston to face the Penn State Nittany Lions Sunday at 2 p.m on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
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