Northwestern’s women’s basketball team will be issued two forfeits, which will count as losses, for scheduled games against UCLA and USC that were initially postponed in January due to the deadly wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area.
The Big Ten Conference announced the ruling Wednesday, saying the games — originally set for Jan. 12 at UCLA and Jan. 15 at USC — would not be rescheduled.
“Per Conference rules, forfeitures will be assessed to Northwestern. As a result, the Wildcats will receive two losses in the conference standings, while UCLA and USC each will be credited with a win,” the Big Ten’s announcement said.
With the losses, Northwestern drops to 2-15 in the conference (9-19 overall), while USC improves to 16-1 atop the Big Ten (26-2 overall) and UCLA moves to 15-1 in the league (27-1 overall). Northwestern is coming off back-to-back losses and closes its regular season hosting Nebraska on March 2. The Wildcats are battling Purdue, Rutgers and Penn State for the 15th and final spot for the conference tournament in March.
In a statement Wednesday, Northwestern athletic director Mark Jackson said the program “accepts the decision by the Big Ten Conference to strictly apply the Conference bylaws as written” in issuing forfeits for the missed games after the team’s decision to not travel during the wildfires.
“While we acknowledge that bylaws and rules are in place for a reason and we will abide by them, it does not diminish this team’s sound reasoning for not participating during this natural disaster,” Jackson said. “We will continue to support our Women’s Basketball student-athletes and hope for a strong recovery for the Southern California region.”
The fires, which engulfed tens of thousands of acres in the Los Angeles area and forced mass evacuations, prompted schedule changes for many sports teams and leagues. The Los Angeles Rams’ wild-card game was relocated from Inglewood, Calif., to Glendale, Ariz., while the Chargers, Kings, Clippers, Lakers and college teams in the area also dealt with scheduling changes.
(Photo: Adam Bettcher / Getty Images)
