Turnovers and perimeter defense doomed the Wildcats on the West Coast.
Although the calendar flipped to a new year last night, Northwestern's struggles remain as glaring as they did in 2025. The Wildcats' losing streak extended to eight as the Oregon Ducks dismantled NU's defense on Thursday evening, 87-54.
Joe McKeown's final season in Evanston began with a strong 6-0 start, but the 'Cats now sit at 6-8 with Big Ten play underway. Northwestern is currently 0-3 against conference opponents after dropping contests to No. 19 Ohio State, Washington and Oregon.
Grace Sullivan once again powered the Wildcats' offense, racking up 23 points, three rebounds, a block and a steal. Fresh off her 30-point outing against the Huskies, the senior shot an efficient 11-of-16 from the floor and finished with the most points among either team.
Tayla Thomas and Casey Harter combined for 17 points, while Caroline Lau dished out 10 assists.
For Oregon, Katie Fiso (17 points), Mia Jacobs (16) and Sarah Rambus (12) all scored in double figures. Fiso also added six assists and four steals, while Jacobs had six boards and four assists.
The Ducks shot 53% from deep and scored 29 points off 22 Northwestern turnovers.
Sullivan announced her presence early, taking over with a dominant first-quarter performance. The senior forward dropped 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the opening period — almost entirely on deep two-pointers — to lead the way for the Wildcats.
However, the Ducks were able to maintain a lead at the end of one, thanks to some strong shooting from Avary Cain. Oregon's success continued with an 11-0 run to begin the second quarter, and Northwestern did not score for over four-and-a-half minutes. Even when Lau's layup finally put an end to the Ducks' streak, Oregon did not take its foot off the gas pedal.
Northwestern's deficit ballooned to as much as 17, and the 'Cats went into halftime trailing, 45-30. Outside of Sullivan and Thomas (3-of-5), the Wildcats combined to shoot 4-of-16 over the first 20 minutes.
The 'Cats managed to keep pace with the Ducks to start the third until a 12-0 run slammed the door shut on Northwestern's hopes of a comeback. Sullivan drilled a jumper to stop the bleeding, but Jacobs connected on her fourth triple of the game during the final minute of the quarter to give Oregon a 29-point advantage.
Northwestern will return home to host Iowa on Monday. The Hawkeyes are the No. 14 team in the nation with a 12-2 (3-0 Big Ten) record, having only lost to No. 1 UConn and No. 10 Iowa State.