Northwestern (14-9, 3-8 Big Ten) finally snapped a five-game losing streak with a 69-59 win at Illinois (8-14, 1-10 Big Ten) on Thursday night behind a double-double from Nia Coffey. After weeks of defensive incompetency, Northwestern held Illinois to just 31.8 percent from the field and 0.77 points per possession.
The game started very well for Northwestern as the Wildcats jumped out to a 19-7 lead after the first quarter of play. Illinois did not shoot well in the first quarter, but Northwestern’s defense collapsed in the second quarter as Illinois roared back and took a five point lead at halftime.