After a contentious battle filled with counter punch after counter punch, Northwestern (1-0, 0-0 BIG) delivered the final blow in a 67-64 win over IU Indy (1-1, 0-0 HL). Xaimaya Walton’s clutch corner three-pointer in the final seconds of the fourth quarter gave the Wildcats the lead, catapulting NU to a nail-biting victory in the season opener.
Walton finished with 17 points and 5 assists, shooting 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Alongside Walton, Grace Sullivan’s dominant double-double kept the Wildcats competitive throughout all four quarters. Poised for a breakout senior season, Sullivan started her final campaign in purple with 18 points and 18 rebounds, dominating the paint from start to finish. Tayla Thomas posted a strong double-double as well, contributing 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Casey Harter added 13 points.
The Wildcats shot 41% from the field but struggled from deep, hitting just 20% of their three-pointers. Turnovers and fouls piled up for Northwestern, as the team committed 19 turnovers and 23 fouls, which led to 27 free throw attempts for IU Indy. Despite this, the Wildcats’ defense was effective in limiting the Jaguars, who shot only 32% from the field and committed 14 turnovers.
There were no surprises in head coach Joe McKeown’s starting lineup. Coaching in the final season opener of his historic career, McKeown started Tate Lash, Caroline Lau, and Casey Harter at guard, with 6’4” Grace Sullivan and 6’3” Tayla Thomas anchoring the forward spots.
The game tipped off with Sullivan going up against IU Indy’s Ariana Williams, tapping the ball back to Caroline Lau to start the action. Northwestern immediately looked to attack inside, with both Sullivan and Thomas putting up multiple shots early on. After IU Indy’s Sydney Bolden opened the scoring with a layup, Sullivan answered with a left-hand layup for the Wildcats.
With a clear size advantage in the paint, McKeown’s game plan was evident: attack the Jaguars inside. Lau orchestrated the offense, quickly finding Sullivan and Thomas near the basket, who often took multiple shots in a single possession. However, Northwestern struggled from beyond the arc in the first quarter, missing all five three-point attempts.
Fortunately, IU Indy’s offense was also stalled by Northwestern’s tight man-to-man defense. After scoring six early points, the Jaguars endured a three-minute scoring drought, missing six straight field goals. The Wildcats held a narrow 14-11 lead after the first quarter, with Sullivan and Lash leading the squad with four points each.
The second quarter saw IU Indy shoot a low 21.1% from the field early on, but Northwestern’s seven personal fouls gave the Jaguars six free throw opportunities. Sullivan, with two fouls, had to sit early in the quarter, allowing IU Indy some defensive momentum. With 8:07 on the clock, the Jaguars took a 15-14 lead on a Sydney Bolden layup amid growing energy from the IU Indy bench.
Needing an offensive spark, Sullivan returned to the floor, opening up the outside shot for Walton. Walton responded by scoring five straight points in the sequence, including Northwestern’s first three-pointer of the evening, giving the Wildcats a 17-16 lead. After Walton’s run, both teams experienced a scoring lull for nearly three minutes, as the score stayed close at 19-16.
Tayla Thomas reignited the offense with a right elbow jumper with 3:54 remaining in the half. However, IU Indy’s field goal drought extended to more than seven minutes until E’Zaria Adams scored a layup with 32 seconds left. Sullivan closed out the half strong, scoring four straight points in the final three minutes.
At halftime, Northwestern led 26-23. Sullivan was the standout, almost securing a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. On the other end, Adams led IU Indy with seven first-half points. Turnovers and fouls were problematic for the Wildcats, who had 12 turnovers leading to 10 Jaguar points and 13 personal fouls resulting in nine points from free throws for IU Indy.
Starting the second half, McKeown made a slight lineup change, replacing Lash with Walton, who had scored five points in the first half. IU Indy came out strong, reclaiming the lead 27-26 just a minute into the third quarter. Sullivan quickly countered with four points, helping Northwestern regain a three-point advantage.
From there, Northwestern went on a 9-0 scoring run, extending their lead to 35-27 by the 7:31 mark. Sullivan had already racked up 13 points and 11 rebounds, earning her first double-double of the season. Though IU Indy responded with a three-pointer from Destini Craig, Northwestern maintained control, with layups from Harter and Thomas pushing the lead back to seven.
The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with IU Indy making 3-of-7 three-pointers in the period to stay within striking distance. Heading into the fourth quarter, Northwestern led 46-42, but the Jaguars’ perimeter shooting kept the game close.
The fourth quarter began with IU Indy’s Adams draining another three-pointer. Sullivan answered with a jumper, narrowing the gap to 48-45, but McKeown was visibly upset by his team’s perimeter defense and called a timeout to regroup.
After the timeout, the Wildcats focused on their inside game, with Thomas and Sullivan scoring five straight points to build a 53-47 lead. The offense often revolved around a pick-and-roll between Lau and Sullivan, allowing Lau to facilitate for other guards.
Both teams traded baskets over the next few minutes, but the Jaguars steadily chipped away at the lead. Two free throws by Smith trimmed Northwestern’s advantage to 55-54 with 5:07 remaining.
After a Thomas layup pushed the lead back to three, Hailey Smith scored four consecutive points for IU Indy, including a steal and fast break layup, giving the Jaguars a 58-57 lead. Walton quickly responded with her third three-pointer, regaining a two-point lead for the Wildcats.
Shortly after, Northwestern committed its 20th personal foul, sending Julia Hall to the line for IU Indy’s 22nd and 23rd free throws. Hall made one, bringing the score to 60-59 with 2:24 left.
In the final two minutes, free throws became pivotal. Northwestern struggled at the line, shooting just 46.2% for the game. Walton missed one of two free throws, while Smith made 1-of-2 for IU Indy. With 46.7 seconds remaining, Northwestern led 62-61.
The Wildcats drained most of the remaining shot clock before Sullivan committed an ill-timed offensive foul with 23 seconds left, giving IU Indy a chance to take the lead. In the ensuing timeout, Jaguars head coach Kate Bruce entrusted Destini Craig with the final possession.
Craig drove to the basket for a quick go-ahead layup, but Northwestern had 19.3 seconds to respond. After inbounding to Lau, the ball quickly reached Lash, who delivered a pinpoint cross-court pass to an open Walton. Walton calmly drained a huge go-ahead three-pointer—her fourth of the game—to put Northwestern up 65-63.
Trailing by two, IU Indy called another timeout. On the next possession, Craig once again drove to the basket and drew a foul, heading to the free throw line. Despite being 3-of-3 before these attempts, Craig missed her second free throw, keeping Northwestern in front 65-64 with seven seconds left.
The Jaguars fouled Lash immediately, who calmly sank two clutch free throws, extending the lead to 67-64. On the final possession, Smith missed a well-contested desperation three-point shot as time expired.
Northwestern held on to secure a hard-fought, three-point opening night victory. While it wasn’t the dominant win the Wildcats anticipated, they made the key plays when it mattered most. Walton emerged as the hero, knocking down multiple clutch threes down the stretch, including the game-winning basket with just 11 seconds remaining.
The Wildcats will continue their home stand on November 9th against SIU Edwardsville at 7:00 P.M. CST. Fans can look forward to more exciting basketball action as the new season unfolds.
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