EVANSTON — Shannon Dowell scored 23 points and Addison Martin hit two late free throws to preserve Illinois State's 81-77 women's basketball victory over Northwestern on Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena in the season opener for both teams.
"I really love the character of our team. There's a togetherness about this team that usually takes a while to get," ISU coach Kristen Gillespie said. "They have just clicked. We saw the intangibles early in the summer. This team just gets it. They play so incredibly hard for each other."
The Wildcats and Redbirds were tied 55-all through three quarters before ISU stretched out to a 75-68 edge on a Dowell three-point play with 2:28 left.