Editor’s note: Each week, WNUR Sports recaps the news and results from the in-season, non-revenue teams that we cover in order to help our listeners and readers stay connected to the pulse of Northwestern athletics. For football coverage, check out this week’s edition of the Moving the Chains podcast here. Teams are discussed in alphabetical order.

By Eli Karp

Women’s Basketball:

12/17: WIN vs. Chicago State

12/19 WIN vs. Wichita State

After starting a sterling 5-0, the Wildcats dropped a close, ugly loss to Pitt before falling twice more to ranked opponents DePaul and Marquette in the week leading up to class final exams. Head Coach Joe McKeown said after the loss to Marquette on December 9 that the Finals Week break came at a good time for his injured, young team to regroup.

It looks like the rest and not having schoolwork to think about did the ‘Cats well. Monday morning, they resumed their season against Chicago State, an annual tradition between the two Chicagoland schools. It was never expected to be at all competitive, and it never was. NU won 97-35 (yes, really), behind Lindsey Pulliam, Sydney Wood, Veronica Burton and Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah. Pulliam and Wood each scored 14 points, while Burton and Kunaiyi-Akpanah both chipped in 13 points.

Coming off a successful tuneup game after the week off, the first test Northwestern faced was Wichita State in the Duel in the Desert tournament in Las Vegas. Behind swarming defense, the ‘Cats shocked the Shockers, using a 17-0 run to outscore Wichita State 48-15 in the first half. McKeown’s squad put it in cruise control after the half, gliding to a 65-43 win in Vegas. Abi Scheid led a very balanced scoring attack with 13 points.

The ‘Cats will take on Kansas in the tournament championship today at 7 pm CT.