Northwestern Shows Early Chemistry and Grit in Exhibition Win

By: Michael Sanders

EVANSTON, Ill. — The energy inside Welsh-Ryan Arena felt different this weekend. It wasn’t just another preseason tune-up, it was the first real glimpse of what this new-look Northwestern women’s basketball team could become.

From the jump, forwards Grace Sullivan and Taylor Woodson owned the paint, both posting double-doubles and showing flashes of what could be one of the most dynamic front-court duos in the Big Ten.

“There’s not one without the other,” Sullivan said. “We really feed off each other, and that connection is only going to grow as the season goes on.”

Woodson echoed that same synergy, calling their chemistry “natural” and crediting their off-court bond — from team dinners to late-night mall runs — for how seamlessly they play together.

“We just love to hang out,” she laughed. “The mall, Crumbl, team dinners, we’re always together. That’s why the chemistry is showing.”

The pair’s connection powered Northwestern’s defense-first identity, a clear focus for head coach Joe McKeown, who opened his final season on the sidelines with an exhibition win that doubled as a statement.

“To be great in this league, you have to defend,” McKeown said. “Those championship teams we had, we held people in the 50s, sometimes the 40s. That’s the standard we’re chasing again.”

The Wildcats looked sharp from tip-off, holding Division II powerhouse Lewis to limited looks and attacking relentlessly in transition. It wasn’t just about the scoreboard, it was about setting tone, rhythm, and mentality.

McKeown praised the balanced offense now emerging in the post-Kaylie Walsh and Melanie Daley era, singling out Sullivan’s evolution and the addition of Woodson as key reasons for optimism.

“We’re more balanced this year,” he said. “You’re seeing Grace become one of the best in the conference, and Taylor can play three spots: score, rebound, defend. That versatility gives us a new dimension.”

For the players, the night was as much about excitement as execution.

“You can just feel it,” Sullivan said. “The energy, the trust, the belief. We know what we can be and tonight was just the beginning.”

As the Wildcats gear up for their official season opener, this exhibition win felt like a spark, a moment where a new identity began to take shape: deeper, hungrier, and tighter than ever.

“We’ve got a lot of gym rats,” Sullivan said with a grin. “We live in the gym. That’s why the chemistry is real.”

McKeown’s final year at the helm might just be one to remember — and his team looks ready to write the next chapter with everything they’ve got.