Rapid Recap: No. 5 Northwestern 65, No. 4 Michigan 49
Last March, following its first Big Ten Championship in 30 years, then-No. 2 Northwestern faced off against then-No.7 Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The Wildcats fell 67-59, and would continue their struggles against the Wolverines into 2021.
In January, NU lost to Michigan by 21 points in a nationally televised matchup. Then last week, the Wolverines defeated the Cats by five on Senior Day in Ann Arbor.
No. 5 NU had another chance to defeat the No. 4 Wolverines Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.
And it did. Behind 25 points and 13 rebounds from junior guard Veronica Burton and 18 points from senior guard Lindsey Pulliam, the Cats defeated Michigan 65-49 and will play in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2016 against No. 1 Maryland.
Northwestern beginning to put it together in victory over Illinois
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Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana Back at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the first time in one year, Northwestern found itself playing a familiar foe. Two weeks ago, the sluggish ‘Cats squeaked by Illinois in a 67-61 win that didn’t bolster much confidence heading into the postseason. The ‘Cats fell behind 18-4 early in Champaign before recovering but struggling to fully quash the Illini.
Wednesday’s second round Big Ten Tournament matchup was a different story. Both teams struggled to score early in the first quarter, but Northwestern asserted its defense and used one of its most impressive quarters in recent memory to blow past Illinois 67-42, the program’s largest margin of victory in a Big Ten Tournament game by 15 points.
Rapid Reaction: No 24 Northwestern fades in the fourth, falls to Nebraska 71-64 insidenu.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from insidenu.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Rapid Reaction: After early struggles, Northwestern holds on against Illinois in 67-61 victory
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Courtesy of Northwestern Athletics
After a slow start, Northwestern (13-5, 11-5 B1G) overcame in-state rivals Illinois (3-16, 1-14 B1G) 67-61 for their 12th straight win in the series, thanks in large part to to a staggering 35-6 run that encompassed the entire second quarter. Veronica Burton led the charge with 20 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals, and a perfect 12-of-12 performancefrom the free throw line. Lindsey Pulliam contributed 19 points and eight boards of her own, though it took her 21 shots to get there.
Northwestern’s last few games had seen them struggle mightily in second halves. The inverse occurred at the State Farm Center against the last-placed team in the conference, with the ‘Cats starting 0-of-13 from the field and looking disoriented and disorganized on the offensive end of the floor. The Illini took advantage of Northwestern’s early struggle
Scott Bruhn
Senior center Kate Cain currently sits at 998 points in her Husker career. It seems likely that she will join the 1000 point club in this game. She is such a defensive presence that it is sometimes hard to appreciate how much work she has put into her offensive skills. Her free throw shooting is noticeably improved and she has increased her range considerably since her freshman year.
The Husker women are in a tailspin after losing four straight games, two of them to the top offenses in the nation (#1 Maryland and #2 Iowa). Earlier this season, the Huskers had a remarkable run with wins over three ranked/receiving votes teams in four attempts (a two-point loss being the fourth). After that stretch, the Huskers were among teams receiving votes in both polls.