By Mike Marut
In the first half, Northwestern ran the floor with extreme aggressiveness. In the second half, although still aggressive, the Wildcats seemed to turn the intensity dial to the left and slowed down the pace of their game. The freshmen still showed off their athleticism with Scottie Lindsey attempting a dunk and all still hustling down the floor. Coach Collins rotated his team in fives, giving everybody a breather and consistently keeping fresh legs on the floor.
Free throw shooting really did not improve in the second half, as the team finished with under 50%, only 10 for 21 overall. Downtown Dimes (3-pointers) kept at a high percentage though with 10-14 overall, but that does not excuse the poor FTM/FTA. In the middle of the half, passing seemed to get a bit sloppy with many dishes going off the hands of Cats and out-of-bounds. NU dominated the transition game, with most scores coming on fast breaks and from paint points.
To end the night with some style, Gavin Skelly had a strong putback slam emphasizing the ‘Cats’ dominance over the Bearcats.
Final Score: 102-52 Wildcats over Bearcats