Northwestern women’s basketball player review: Tate Lash

As one of three transfers for Northwestern’s 2025-26 season, Tate Lash was arguably the most prolific player among the newcomers. Lash brought a scoring pedigree to the team after averaging 11. 4 points during her four years at Furman before playing her final year at Northwestern.

Despite some initial struggles adapting to the high major level, as Lash searched for her shooting rhythm early in the season, the ‘Cats’ former coach Joe McKeown kept his trust and started her. Weeks later, she figured out her position as a third or fourth scoring option, putting up several double-digit performances. While Caroline Lau dove deeper into orchestrating the offense and pushing the tempo, Lash provided scoring out of the backcourt.

However, Lash’s stats in the final year of her collegiate career, 4. 4 points and 2. 1 rebounds per game, may seem disappointing.

As Lash continued adjusting her game to match the Big Ten level, everything fell apart after McKeown sent her back to the bench following the first 14 games of the season. Early Season Promise For the first half of the season, Lash was one of Northwestern’s main scoring threats — something the Wildcats desperately lacked — and one of the factors that helped the team get off to an early 6-0 start in the non-conference schedule. Lash’s above-average height for a guard, combined with her physicality, enabled her aggressive drives to the hoop.