Northwestern Wildcats 71, Illinois Fighting Illini 74
NCAA Women's · 2026-01-18 · Winner: Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini defeated Northwestern Wildcats 74–71 on 2026-01-18 in NCAA Women's play, a 3-point result. A 17-0 home team run ending at Q3 7:25 swung win probability 37% → 97%. Below is the quarter-by-quarter linescore, a win-probability timeline, and an automated breakdown of why Northwestern Wildcats lost.
Linescore
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Wildcats | 17 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 71 |
| Illinois Fighting Illini | 21 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 74 |
Win probability
Turning point — A 17-0 home team run ending at Q3 7:25 swung win probability 37% → 97%.
Why Northwestern Wildcats lost
- Gave up a 17-0 run ending at Q3 7:25 (win probability 37% → 97% for the home side).
- Outscored 19-7 at the free-throw line.
- Beaten on the offensive glass 18-7.
- Game was within 2 with 5:00 left - lost the closing stretch.
Scoring runs
| Team | Run | Ends | Win-prob swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Fighting Illini | 17–0 | Q3 7:25 | 37% → 97% |
| Northwestern Wildcats | 8–0 | Q3 0:22 | 100% → 92% |