It has been a rough start for Northwestern women’s basketball this 2024-25 season.

The Wildcats (1-3, 0-0 B1G) got a boost of optimism after winning their first regular season game against Utah on Nov. 14. As the cold simmered down on Saturday afternoon, they welcomed the Harvard Crimson (7-1, 0-0 Ivy League) to Welsh Ryan Arena. The Wildcats knew they would be facing a tough team, one that had scored a whopping 446 points in their season so far, averaging 74.3 per game. It was not surprising this match would test a team that still has to prove they can bounce back from the past few seasons. In the end, the Wildcats surrendered to a 75-50 loss.

“We got to get better,” head coach Joe McKeown said at the postgame press conference. “We got to get healthy and we got to get better.”

As the first quarter began, Northwestern took possession, attempting to mark territory. Harvard was fast and took them to the other half of the court in no time, getting up on the scoring first with third-year guard Gabby Anderson’s layup. However, Northwestern’s graduate guard Kyla Jones responded quickly with her own layup, making it 2-2. As the quarter progressed, the Wildcats tried to stay close in points, knowing open spaces would allow Harvard to extend the scoring early on. Harvard’s fourth-year guard Elena Rodriguez scored the game’s first three-pointer, and without much initial action, the first quarter favored Harvard 16-13.

It was key for Northwestern to keep this momentum going for the rest of the quarters if they wanted to keep it a close game. However, the second quarter was anything but easy for the Wildcats.

With a few turnovers to begin, both teams went back and forth, preventing each other from scoring. The Wildcats knew they needed to capitalize from turnovers when given the chance, but didn’t accomplish much. The truth is, the Wildcats were lacking a steady defensive line, which cost them a couple of points with not even five minutes played in the second quarter.

One thing Harvard was good at was recovering ball possession, and on many occasions it helped them get ahead. Northwestern’s fouls and lack of communication also sent Harvard to the free throw line a couple of times. The crowd yelled “Defense!” every now and then, a clear indicator of Northwestern’s call for help, with Harvard taking a 42-26 advantage heading into halftime.

Back from the half, fourth-year guard Melannie Daley provided some needed joy with a layup, followed by a pair of free throws. A fundamental player in this game was fourth-year forward Caileigh Walsh, who scored two back-to-back layups for the Wildcats, narrowing the score to 48-38 five minutes into the third quarter. Walsh scored a team high 13 points.

The Wildcats went on a 8-0 run before Harvard went on their own 7-0 run, all points scored by Rodriguez, leading her team with 17 points in the game. Northwestern continued to distance themselves from the visitors, going on a scoreless run the final three minutes, putting Harvard up 57-42.

The fourth and final quarter was the Wildcats’ last chance to make every shot count. However, they only managed to score four points in the first five minutes of the quarter, compared to Harvard’s 10. With sloppy shots and constant fouls, it seemed like the Wildcats didn’t have much left to give. While Harvard also missed their own shots, they knew how to fight for the ball, defend it and score points. As the final buzzer sounded, the Wildcats knew they had work to do.

Northwestern now looks toward its next game against Loyola Chicago on Nov. 26. The Wildcats have their feet in the game, they just need to put their hearts into it.

Thumbnail photo by AJ Anderson / North by Northwestern