The Northwestern women’s basketball team (2-0) went to overtime Thursday night to defeat Marquette (3-1) on the road 64-56. The Wildcats showed their strength in the first half when they only let the Golden Eagles score 17 points and put up 25 of their own. In the second half began, however, the 'Cats began to trail Marquette and were put on the backfoot.

The game started out strong with a layup by junior Abbie Wolf (14 pts, 10 reb). Junior Lindsey Pulliam (18 pts) led the team in scoring with 38 minutes of playing time, including nine points made during OT. She had a strong 2018-19 season where she dominated not only within her team, but in the Big Ten overall. This year, it looks like she’ll continue her position as top scorer for the Wildcats.

The 'Cats blew their lead in the fourth quarter, but sophomore Veronica Burton (13 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast) made a scoop layup in the last 4.6 seconds of the game to tie the game 51-51 and drive the team into overtime. After beginning the fourth quarter with a lead (36-32), it seemed that Northwestern would take the game, especially after such strong defense in the first half. However, even with Marquette’s numerous fouls in the fourth quarter—which Pulliam and Burton both capitalized off of—Marquette made enough shots outside the paint to pull them ahead of the ‘Cats.

Once in OT, Pulliam hit the first shot for Northwestern to take back the lead, which they would hold on to for the win. Last year, No. 18 Marquette destroyed Northwestern 76-57, so this game showed  potential for a successful season for the Wildcats. Northwestern next plays against Duke (2-1) on Sunday in North Carolina.

Game stats and details collected from SIDEARM Sports