Northwestern women’s basketball falls to No. 21 Green Bay 63-56

Northwestern women’s basketball could really use a lift. After losing its last two games and first year point guard Jordan Hamilton, Northwestern (6-7) lost its first game in Allstate Arena against No. 21 Green Bay (10-1) from the Horizon League. It was close, but in the end Northwestern came up six points short.

In many respects, Northwestern played one of its best games of the season. Defensively, Northwestern held Green Bay to 0.94 points per possession and forced 13 turnovers, but the Wildcats’ inability to put together consistent offense did them in. Lindsey Pulliam, Byrdy Galernik, and Abi Scheid all had double figures, but Northwestern also had 16 turnovers.

The Wildcats fell behind early as Green Bay started the game with a 7-0 run. Northwestern scored just 9 points in the first quarter to Green Bay’s 15. The second quarter saw more offense from both teams. Abi Scheid scored 10 points in the quarter by herself, but Green Bay found enough answers on offense to hold its advantage. The Wildcats were down 35-28 at halftime.

Northwestern arguably outplayed Green Bay in the second half, but a lack of offensive execution doomed the Wildcats. Despite winning the third quarter 12-9, Northwestern scored just 1 point in the first 5+ minutes of the fourth quarter, allowing Green Bay to stretch its lead to 12. Northwestern fought bravely to cut the deficit to 7 by the final whistle, but it just wasn’t enough.

With a loss at Missouri State over the weekend, Northwestern falls to 6-7 after losing three straight. This was Northwestern’s only game in Allstate Arena this season. The Wildcats will play one last non-conference game against Eastern Illinois at ETHS at 4 p.m. on November 22.