NU Sports Report – Jan. 18, 2023

Hi, I’m Brendan Preisman, and it’s time for your NU Sports Report for the week. 

BASKETBALL

The men’s team has struggled over the past week, dropping a home game to Rutgers and an away game to Michigan, both by single digits.  Against Rutgers, the ‘Cats scored just 16 points in the paint and missed 8 of their 18 free throws.  In the Michigan game, it was long-range shooting that spelled the Wildcats’ doom, as the team shot just 6-for-23 beyond the arc.  Michigan, meanwhile, made 10 of their 22 attempts from three point land.  A tough week was made even worse for the program when an announcement was made Tuesday that the game against Iowa, scheduled for tonight, had been postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Northwestern program.  According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium, the team would have had just six players available had the game taken place.

Meanwhile for the womens’ squad, a tough season continues to drag on.  After a rough 93-64 blowout at the hands of Iowa last Wednesday, the team lost at home to Purdue by a margin of 65-54.  The team has now scored more than 70 points in a game just once since the start of December, and their 63.9 points per game is tied with Rutgers for the lowest offensive output in the Big Ten.  The defense has also had its issues and is ahead of only Wisconsin and Minnesota in the conference with regard to points allowed.  Following the Purdue loss, the Wildcats are 0-7 in Big Ten play, and that mark will likely continue to take a beating with matchups against 2 nationally ranked teams – #2 Ohio State and #21 Illinois – on the docket for the ‘Cats over the next week.  

FENCING 

The fencing team had an excellent showing at the Tufts Invitational on Sunday, sweeping a three-team combination of LIU, Wellesley, and Tufts.  The 3 victories moved the Wildcats’ record to 18-6, snapping a stretch in which the team suffered defeat in 4 of their last 5 matches.  The score lines were a 21-6 victory over LIU, a 17-10 victory over Wellesley, and a 19-8 victory over Tufts.  The fencing team will be in action again on Sunday at the Philadelphia invitational.

TENNIS

The women’s tennis team opened regular season play last week with a doubleheader against Chicago rivals UIC and Chicago State.  The ‘Cats dominated both squads, garnering 7-0 wins over both.  Against UIC, every singles match was a sweep, with Justine Leong winning every game in a 6-0, 6-0 victory over UIC’s Zara Ryan.  Against Chicago State, Leong lost just 2 games in a 6-1, 6-1 victory, while Briana Crowley and Christina Hand also lost just 2 games in their matches, with Crowley winning 6-0, 6-2, and Hand winning 6-2, 6-0.  The team will take to the courts next against Vanderbilt at home this Sunday.

On the men’s side of things, it was a very good week, with a 4-0 sweep of Notre Dame, a 4-3 win over #19 North Carolina State, and another 4-0 sweep, this time of Chicago State.  3 of Notre Dame’s matches didn’t finish, but Northwestern had leads in 2 of the 3 when the matches ended early.  Against NC State, the team survived a tough battle, with Ivan Yatsuk surviving a first set defeat and Trice Pickens earning a two-set victory in which both sets went to tiebreakers.  The Chicago State match was a lot less dramatic, with every set being a sweep, including Yatsuk, Gabe Blekher, and Natan Spear all winning 6-2, 6-0.  The men’s team will travel to Louisville for a match this Sunday.  

WRESTLING 

The wrestling team dropped to 2-2 after losing two tough matches against ranked opponents in #2 Iowa and #16 Nebraska.  Against Iowa, Northwestern won just 3 individual matches in a 27-9 defeat, including #11 Chris Cannon’s victory in a 4-1 decision in the opening round of the 133 pound class.  #4 Yahya Thomas also won his match in the 149 pound class, using a late takedown to move his record to 13-1 on the year.  Andrew Davison won his match in the 197-pound class, 7-5, but that was all the victories the team could muster, with Iowa taking 7 of the 10 matches, though 6 were by 3 points or fewer.

Against Nebraska, the showing was better, but the team still fell 22-15.  Cannon and Thomas both won, and Davison and Max Mayfield also took victories (with Davison earning his third pinfall victory of the year), but Nebraska taking three major decisions proved too much to overcome.  Mayfield and Davison were the only Wildcats over 149 pounds to earn victories.  The team will take to the mats next this Friday against Illinois at home.

That’s all for the NU Sports Report this week.  Winter seasons are in full swing, and there’s a lot of teams to watch out for.  For more information about upcoming games, as well as how you can watch the Wildcats live, visit www.nusports.com.

I’m Brendan Preisman, WNUR News.