Northwestern vs. Milwaukee Game Recap: Wildcats prove resilient against Panthers, improve to 8-3
The Northwestern Wildcats came back with a roaring third quarter performance after struggling in the first half to defeat the Milwaukee Panthers Wednesday night 55-46.
The Wildcats are now 6-0 at home but struggled through all 40 minutes of play, turning the ball over 12 times.
Both teams lacked offense in the first half. However, it was Freshman Forward Caileigh Walsh who stepped up for the Wildcats put up 16 points and 5 rebounds.
Walsh and Senior Guard Veronica Burton made their presence known in the third quarter bringing the Cats to their first big lead of the night. Three's weren’t sinking for Burton the way we’re used to seeing and she struggled to find her usual stroke putting up 9 points but helped her teammates with 6 rebounds and 5 assists on the night.
"A game like tonight was tough on my end but knowing the next man up mentality, I can contribute in different ways than putting points on the board. So I've just been kind of reminding myself of that," Burton said. "Each person on our team is capable of scoring and being a threat on offense, so if it's not my night, it's going to be someone else's."
Assistant Coach Kate Popovec said she was pleased with the team's bench play tonight.
"Overall, our intensity improved in the second half and for us it was about opening things up and getting on the glass. We also got some spark off the bench ... A lot of players on the bench stepped up in big moments," Popovec said. "The amount of pressure Burton is under to perform night in and night out is immense and Rainy did a really great job for her coming in being able to move her off the ball and make big shots for us."
Head Coach Joe McKeown echoed those thoughts saying those two 3's from Rainy in the second half helped and gave their offense the shot in the arm they needed. He also said Burton makes plays and decisions that don't show up on the stat sheet.
"That's what makes her one of the strongest guards in college basketball. "he said. "She helped get the team organized to finish strong in the fourth quarter. She helped get us where we needed to go."
Coach McKeown said the team still has a lot of work to do coming off a stressful finals week.
"We have to get back in the gym. If we're gonna be Northwestern the Big Ten, we have to be really efficient. We have some work to do," he said.
The Wildcats take on Temple Owls this Friday, December 17th at 7 pm CT at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
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