Northwestern Edges Howard 68-66 in Hawk Classic Third-Place Game

Northwestern narrowly defeated Howard 68-66 in the third-place game of the Hawk Classic, bouncing back after a tough loss to Charleston the day before. The Wildcats (7-5, 0-1 B1G) overcame a second-half push from the Bison (6-8, 0-0 MEAC) to secure the victory.

The star of the game was Mel Daley, who delivered a stellar 16-point performance on 7-for-12 shooting, including the Wildcats’ final three field goals. Grace Sullivan also scored 16 points, while Casey Harter and Caleigh Walsh added 11 points each. Taylor Williams led on the boards with 11 rebounds but fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.

For Howard, Destiny Howell and Saniyah King paced the offense with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Nile Miller contributed nine points and eight rebounds, as the Bison collectively pulled down 40 rebounds to Northwestern’s 36.

The game was a battle of momentum swings, with both teams relying on clutch plays and key defensive stops. Northwestern capitalized on Daley’s late-game heroics and a strong second-half performance to hold off Howard. The Wildcats’ defense stood firm in the final seconds, with Caleigh Walsh blocking a potential game-winning three-pointer from Destiny Howell to seal the win.

With the victory, Northwestern takes home third place in the Hawk Classic and will host Washington on Dec. 28 following the holiday break.