Preview: Rutgers at Northwestern Women’s Basketball

EVANSTON, Ill. (Interstat) — Two Big Ten women’s basketball teams seeking to halt extended slides will meet Sunday when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights visit the Northwestern Wildcats.

The conference matchup at Welsh-Ryan Arena features Rutgers (8-8, 0-4 Big Ten) and Northwestern (6-10, 0-4), both winless in league play and carrying losing streaks. The Scarlet Knights have dropped four consecutive games, while the Wildcats’ skid reached seven after a 79-47 loss at Minnesota on Thursday.

Rutgers is coming off a difficult 88-41 home loss to Maryland on Jan. 8. The Scarlet Knights have struggled offensively during their slump, failing to reach 65 points in any of their four conference defeats. A bright spot has been guard Nene Ndiaye, who is averaging 11.0 points over her last five games. She scored 16 points in a narrow loss at Michigan State on Dec. 28 and led Rutgers with 11 points in the loss to Maryland.

Northwestern has faced a brutal non-conference and early Big Ten schedule, with its last victory coming against Abilene Christian on Nov. 28. The Wildcats have allowed 79 or more points in five of their seven losses during this streak. Guard Xamiya Walton will be a key for Northwestern’s offense; she is coming off a 16-point performance at Minnesota and has shown scoring bursts, including 12 points against Washington on Dec. 29.

Both teams will view this as a critical opportunity to gain momentum. Rutgers’ defense, which held Lafayette to 45 points in a win last month, will try to contain a Northwestern offense averaging just 60.1 points per game. The Wildcats will aim to exploit a Rutgers squad that allowed Maryland to shoot 54% from the field.

The game is part of a challenging stretch for both programs. Following this contest, Rutgers continues a road swing at Penn State on Jan. 18. Northwestern remains home to host Wisconsin on Jan. 15 before traveling to Illinois on Jan. 18.

Tip-off is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.