LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 68-66 win over Howard in the third-place game of the Hawk Classic inside Hagan Arena in Philadelphia. The Bison led 33-28 at halftime, before the Wildcats came out of intermission on a 14-0 run to regain control.
The fourth quarter featured four lead changes and three ties. Howard led 63-61 with 4:24 to play before Melannie Daley scored on back-to-back trips to give the 'Cats the lead for good. Caileigh Walsh came up with the key defensive play down the stretch, blocking a potential game-winning three as time expired to seal the victory. Grace Sullivan led the way for NU, finishing with a game-high 17 points (6-11 FGs, 5-7 FTs) and six rebounds.
Daley finished with 16 points on an efficient 7-of-12 clip from the field, while Casey Harter and Walsh each added 11 points apiece. Taylor Williams pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, her seventh game this season with 10+ boards.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON
Washington opened the season hot, starting with four-consecutive home wins at American Airlines Arena, with each coming by a 24+ point margin. The Huskies have faced numerous top-tier opponents and hung tough, dropping a narrow 68-67 contest to #7 LSU in Nassau, Bahamas on a last-second driving layup, as well as 73-62 home setback to #1 UCLA in their Big Ten opener followed by a 67-57 setback to Utah just six days later. UW is currently riding a two-game winning streak behind decisive wins over North Dakota State and Furman.
Guided by fourth-year head coach Tina Langley, Washington is coming off a 16-15 (6-12 PAC) finish in 2023-24 that included 11-straight wins to open the season to match the best start in program history, four wins over AP-ranked opponents, and a second-straight postseason appearance as Washington earned the No. 2 seed in the inaugural WBIT. Langley's team is led by sophomore guard Sayvia Sellers, who averages a team-high 15.5 points per game, and junior guard Elle Ladine who averages 14.0 points per game, both of which rank in the Top-20 in the conference. The tandem of Tayra Eke and Dalayah Daniels lead the Huskies' front court, as the 2024 All-Pac 12 honorable mention selection Daniels entered the season third all-time in UW history in career blocks, while the Eastern Michigan transfer Eke ranks seventh in the Big Ten averaging 1.85 blocks per game to go along with a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game.
SERIES STUFF
This marks just the third-ever meeting between new conference mates, Northwestern and Washington, and the first since 1995. The Wildcats opened both their 1994 and 1995 seasons against the Huskies, dropping an 87-79 contest in Seattle on Nov. 15, 1994 as part of the Preseason NIT, before winning an 84-74 matchup in Evanston the following year to kick off a nine-game winning streak to begin the season
UP NEXT
Northwestern is back at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Tuesday, December 31 for a New Year's Eve Clash with Oregon. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT, with action televised live on Big Ten Network.