Following a made jumper by Northwestern to push their lead to 76-69, a driving Kate Novik earned a trip to the line, where sshe made her first and missed her second. Down six with under 30 seconds to play, the Blue Demons will be forced to foul the Wildcats to try to come back. Novik’s made free throw extends her team-high total points to 18.

After a timeout with two minutes remaining, Kate Novik’s converted and-one had the Blue Demons down by four points. Both teams followed that up with empty possessions, but back-to-back shooting fouls by DePaul gave Northwestern two opportunities at the line, where they managed to add two points. DePaul trails by six with a minute to play.

Natiah Nelson coverts one of her two free throw attempts to cut Northwestern’s lead to three points with less than four minutes remaining. Gritty on the defensive end, DePaul has forced two crucial turnovers in the back half of the fourth quarter, and have come back from a 14-point halftime deficit to make this a one-possession game late.

Devin Hagemann made her first three-pointer of the day on the Blue Demons’ first post-timeout possession in the heart of the fourth quarter. After a subsequent transition layup from Alayna West, DePaul cut Northwestern’s lead to single digits. On the next possession, a hard foul by Natiah Nelson down low was upgraded to a flagrant foul following a lengthy review. After starting the game with 11 made free throws, Northwestern went 1-2 from the line, and Aizhanique Mayo made both of her free throw attempts to get the Blue Demons within eight points with under seven minutes to play.

Down double digits in the fourth quarter, DePaul has turned up the heat defensively, initiating a full-court press that immediately resulted in a steal by Natiah Nelson, her first of the night. Unable to convert the turnover into points following a converted and-one from Kate Novik, DePaul trails by 14 with just under eight minutes to play. Novik’s 14 points lead the Blue Demons, with Nelson’s 11 serving as the only other double digit total for DePaul.

A tension rose throughout the young audience as Northwestern pushed the court with 65 points on the board. A made basket inside, which ups Northwestern’s points in the paint to 42, gave the Wildcats a 67-48 lead at the end of the third quarter. Despite being the away team, the Wildcat’s point total got an enthusiastic crowd to their feet heading into the fourth. DePaul has been out scored 21-16 in the second half.

Guard Devin Hagemann turned her first rebound of the game into an assist via an Aizhanique Mayo made three-pointer. After facing an injury for the first three games of the season, today is Hagemann’s first appearance with the Blue Demons. She has logged two points, four assists and the aforementioned rebound in 18 minutes and counting off the bench. DePaul trails 65-47 with a minute left in the third.

Kate Novik’s back-to-back layups, the second of which she converted an and-one opportunity, cuts Northwestern’s double digit lead to a dozen. The Blue Demons have moved the ball well offensively to find open shots, but their interior defense, which has allowed 38 points through two and a half quarters, remains a problem in this game. Seven straight points from the Wildcats has the visiting team up 63-44 with four minutes left in the third.

DePaul opened the second-half with Alayna West making the first of two free throws. An offensive rebound by Natiah Nelson on the second shot lead to a Michelle Ojo made bucket in the paint. After a 6-0 response from Northwestern, DePaul head coach Jill Pizzotti called her first timeout of the half to try to cut the Wildcats’ momentum. DePaul trails 52-35 a little over two minutes into the second half.

Representing 60 local schools, the young students attending DePaul’s annual “Field Trip Day” have been raucous, singing along to most songs played over the PA system and cheering for any made basket by both DePaul and Northwestern. With the game at half, the halftime performers, a few very good frisbee-catching and rope-jumping dogs, have garnered a strong response from the packed arena.

DePaul capped off the second quarter by turning an Aizhanique Mayo steal into a transition basket by Natiah Nelson. Trailing 46-32 at half, the Blue Demons are led by Nelson’s eight points and six total boards. The team’s eight turnovers and nine personal fouls will have to be cleaned up coming out of break to give the Blue Demons a chance to win in the end.

Michelle Ojo uses a tough inside spin move to make her second basket of the night. Aizhanique Mayo’s made three-pointer two possessions later and Sumer Lee’s pair of made free throws has DePaul within 10 points with two minutes left in the first half.

After Justis Odom’s made jumper to start the period, Ally Timm turned a defensive rebound into a full-court assist to Devin Hagemann. On the following possession, Timm’s athletic turn-around sky hook cut Northwestern’s lead to 35-23 nearly halfway through the second.

Northwestern has enjoyed a red hot start to the game, converting all seven of their free throw attempts and both of their shots from deep to take a 29-15 lead through one quarter. After converting their first attempt of the game, the Blue Demons have been held to six made baskets on 18 attempts while committing five turnovers. Northwestern has turned those turnovers into 1o points while scoring 14 in the paint.

A transition blocking foul called against Ally Timm sends Northwestern to the line, where they stay perfect on seven attempts. DePaul has logged five turnovers and five personal fouls, which have been difficult to overcome through the early part of the game. Natiah Nelson’s second chance bucket, followed by an Aizhanique Mayo three-pointer, has cut the deficit to 22-13 with around two minutes to play in the first.

Forward Justis Odom scores her first points off the bench, missing the free throw attempt of her and-one bucket in the paint to cut Northwestern’s lead to 16-8. The Blue Demons are 4-12 from the field and 0-4 from deep halfway through the first quarter. The Wildcats are 4-10 from the field, 1-1 from deep and 3-3 from the line.

After starting the game with a Kate Novik 2-pointer, the Blue Demons have allowed 10 straight points to Northwestern, turning the ball over twice and missing four shots. Natiah Nelson’s made second-chance basket cut the lead 10-4 three minutes into the game.

DePaul’s first group on the floor includes guards Alayna West, Natiah Nelson, Ally Timm and Kate Novik, with forward Michelle Ojo rounding out the starting five.

Northwestern’s starting lineup features guards Tate Lash and Casey Harter as well as forwards Crystal Wang, Grace Sullivan and Tayla Thompson.

Today’s game versus Northwestern is DePaul’s annual “Field Trip Day,” with 60 local schools bringing students to fill up Wintrust Arena. Outside of countless high-fives with DIBS and loudly cheering the Blue Demons as they take the court for warm-ups, the students have spent their time pre-game by collectively singing along to hits played over the arena speakers, including Soulja Boy’s “Crank That,” Drake’s “God Plan,” Sheck Wes’s “Mo Bamba” and Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” among others.