Women's basketball team forfeits multiple games after not traveling to Los Angeles amid wildfire crisis

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Northwestern's women's basketball team will have to forfeit two of the games on its schedule after not traveling to Los Angeles during the devastating wildfires in January. 

The Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday that Northwestern's games against UCLA on Jan. 12 and USC on Jan. 15 won't be rescheduled and instead will count as losses for the Wildcats and wins for the Southern California-based programs. 

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People watch the smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7, 2025, in Los Angeles.  (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)

Northwestern athletics director Mark Jackson released a statement supporting his team's decision not to travel during the fires, and accepted the decision by the Big Ten.

"Northwestern Athletics accepts the decision by the Big Ten Conference to strictly apply the Conference bylaws as written, in issuing forfeits for missed competitions by Northwestern’s Women’s Basketball after the team’s decision not to travel to Los Angeles during the tragic wildfires in Southern California," Jackson wrote, per On3.

"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. We will continue to support our Women’s Basketball student-athletes and hope for a strong recovery for the Southern California region."

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