Northwestern (8-8, 1-1 B1G) got back on track in Big Ten play with a convincing 74-59 win over Illinois (9-7, 0-2 B1G) in Champaign.
Northwestern thoroughly outplayed Illinois on both ends of the floor. The offense, led by Abi Scheid’s 20 points, was unstoppable. After a relatively slow start, the Wildcats kicked it into gear in the second quarter and methodically took apart Illinois’ defense. Northwestern had 36 points in the paint and also hit 8 threes. Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah dominated Illinois in the interior, ending with 16 rebounds and 16 points.
After Scheid started proceedings with a three on Northwestern’s first possession, the first quarter progressed without much scoring.