There would be no West Coast hangover for Northwestern (11-2) as the Wildcats defeated UT-Martin (4-9) 82-59 behind a game-high 20 points from Nia Coffey.
Coming off a demoralizing loss at Gonzaga, Northwestern came out of the gates strong. A 13-2 opening run was exactly what the offense needed. Northwestern put up 29 points in the first quarter behind 11 points from Coffey and 7 points from Christen Inman.
The second quarter started poorly for Northwestern, as UT-Martin hit back-to-back three-pointers and cut the lead to seven on a Janeika Mason layup. The lead hovered between seven and nine as both teams traded baskets, but an Ashley Deary jumper and a pair of Northwestern three-pointers from Inman and Lauren Douglas restored Northwestern’s advantage to 42-27 with 3:47 remaining in the second quarter.