Northwestern women's basketball pulls away late in win over Utah

With eight seconds on the clock, tied 69-69 with Utah, Northwestern graduate student guard Kyla Jones sent a quick pass to senior guard Melannie Daley on the arc.

Daley lobbed it up to senior forward Caileigh Walsh, who drove into the paint for a layup with just three seconds of play remaining, effectively ending the game then and there.

Walsh’s game-winning shot closed out a tight fourth quarter, but the final 10 minutes were hardly representative of the whole 40. The Wildcats (1-2, 0-0 Big Ten) trailed for much of the game, only catching the Utes (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) toward the end of the third quarter.

Walsh’s clutch moment came in her season debut as she bounced back from an undisclosed injury that left her sidelined for the first two games after a dynamic 2023-24 season.

“I think my excitement maybe expanded a little to the rest of my team, and I think that was really special,” Walsh said of her return.

Despite playing for just 10 minutes, Walsh’s energy made an impact for the ’Cats as they marked their first win of the season, taking down the Utes 71-69.

The ’Cats struggled early on. Turnovers appeared to be a big point of weakness, with five committed in the first quarter and 13 in the first half.

By halftime, NU seemed to stick with the dismal pattern of its first two games, trailing the Utes 37-27. Utah was far from invincible, though, showing some holes in its defense while it picked up seven offensive turnovers of its own for the half.

’Cats coach Joe McKeown carried a strong optimism into the locker room during halftime.

“There was no panic,” McKeown said. “I think our players felt they were doing what we’ve asked them to do in practice.”

Throughout the game, Daley shined offensively with an impressive 23 points, hitting crucial shot after crucial shot for the ’Cats. She continued to take charge as the ’Cats got hot toward the end of the third quarter, chopping Utah’s 14-point lead to two entering the final frame.

The fourth quarter began with an arena-wide fire alarm throwing a wrench in the game plan. Fans were instructed to evacuate, but it was revealed to be a false alarm after about 10 minutes of confusion.

NU didn’t let the interruption get them cold, however, as the game stayed close all the way through the final bucket. The ’Cats looked strong in their Thursday night performance.

“We’re a different team than we were a week ago,” McKeown said.

If NU can keep its field goal percentage up and fouls down, the ’Cats could stay on the prowl as they face Harvard in their next contest on Saturday, Nov. 23 at noon.

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