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MBB: NU Falls Short Against OSU, 69-67

Zack Becker

By Axel Boada

EVANSTON, Ill. — After wasting an incredible first 10 minutes of play Thursday night, Northwestern walked into the locker room at halftime having blown an 11-point lead and trailing the Ohio State Buckeyes, 38-34.

However, the Wildcats decided to return the favor in the second half, pushing the Buckeyes to the brink before eventually falling, 69-67.

“We had every reason in this game… to kind of throw in the towel,” Coach Chris Collins said. “But our guys refused to do that, and I’m really proud of my group for that.”

Ohio State (15-5, 4-3 B1G) climbed to a 54-43 lead with 13:33 left in the game, due in large part to freshman guard D’Angelo Russell’s career-high 33 points. The Wildcats (10-9, 1-5 B1G) chipped away at that lead, until a big three-pointer by JerShon Cobb tied the game at 60-60 apiece with just under four minutes left.

But then, in the final half-minute of the game, things got peculiar.

Down four points, Vic Law stole the ball and dished it to Scottie Lindsey for the easy layup. He missed. With 20 seconds left, Tre Demps drove to the hoop and floated it over the defense. The ball rimmed out.

Yet with the game virtually over, Demps banked a long three to pull the ‘Cats within one with just 0.9 left on the game clock.

“I’m glad those guys had the courage to go in [for layups],” Collins said, ” [but] we gotta make them.”

According to Collins, the team knew stopping Russell was going to be difficult, so they planned on forcing him to take shots in high volume.

But he made shots in high volume.

Russell went 12-for-17 from the field, going 6-for-11 from three-point range. He also added seven rebounds and six assists.

“He’s gonna make a lot of money playing in the NBA. You gotta tip your hat off to him,” Demps said.

Despite falling short in a close conference game yet again, Demps said the team must build from these types of results.

“We have to be smarter down the stretch. We can’t have periods of time where we don’t play defense like we did in the end of the first half,” he said.

Despite showering his team with praise for their effort, Collins was not as kind to the officiating crew.

Collins was clearly livid during the game after a possible goaltend late in the game by Ohio State’s Shannon Scott was ruled a block. Afer the game, he said the referees gave him no explanation for the call.

“That’s usually how it works in this league,” Collins said.

Next up: The Wildcats travel to College Park, Md., to face the Maryland Terrapins Sunday.

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MBB: Ohio State vs Northwestern—First Half Notes

Zack Becker

— Despite an 11-point lead with just over 11 minutes left, Northwestern trails Ohio State, 38-34, at halftime.

— The Wildcats started the game on an 8-0 run. Olah led scorers early with 6 points, and finished the first with 10.

— Jeremiah Kreisberg and Dave Sobolewski got in on the action, as well. Kreisberg nearly dunked on Ohio State’s Sam Thompson — still converting the field goal — and Sobolewski drained a three off a Sanjay Lumpkin assist at 11:28 in the half.

— Ohio State countered with 10-0 run that would last until an Olah basket at 7:03. The Buckeyes outscored the Wildcats 28-13 after Sobolewski’s three-pointer. Both teams are shooting at least 50 percent from the floor.

— Seven Wildcats scored in the first half. Only six players scored for Northwestern in Saturday’s loss at Michigan.

 

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SportsNight (1/15/15)

Anchors Brandon Wilson and Greg Mroz guide us through the first episode of 2015. It’s SportsNight… right now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fpPeHVPwjw

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MBB: Northwestern @ #23 Butler

By Preston R. Michelson

http://youtu.be/OAMkUw7wi5I

Game Story:

Indianapolis — Three days after being throttled by Georgia Tech in the first ten minutes of the game, Northwestern (5-3) played an even game with #23 Butler (7-1), but fell short by a score of 65-56.

“Today was a good step in the right direction,” said head coach Chris Collins. “We had not been playing well and though we were disappointed with the end result, this is the best we’ve played in a while. ”

With 44 seconds left in the first half, Butler’s sophomore forward Andrew Chrabascz knocked down a jumper, and Northwestern trailed for the rest of the matchup.

Northwestern loosened Butler’s lead to two points late in the second but the ranked Bulldogs proved to be too strong of an opponent.

The Wildcats were outplayed by Butler down low — the Bulldogs had 38 points in the paint compared to the Wildcats’ 20. To compensate, the ‘Cats took 18 shots from downtown and converted six.

The biggest discrepancy, however, was at the charity stripe. Northwestern only took seven shots from the free throw line, while Butler took 28.

“That’s hard to overcome in a couple-of-possession game,” Collins said. “You’re not going to win those games.”

Despite being benched in favor of senior point guard Dave Sobolewski, freshman point guard Bryant McIntosh led the team in scoring with twelve points. Sobolewski did not record a shot.

For Butler, junior guard Kellen Dunham was the leading scorer, notching 17 points on nine shot attempts.

Three-point shooting seemed like could have been a difference-maker for the Wildcats. Sophomore forward Nathan Taphorn and freshman forward Vic Law Jr. both knocked down clutch shots from beyond the arc as the game reached its most important stages.

“[Taphorn] made the big three because of all the other stuff he was doing,” Collins said, referring to his other offensive plays. “We need him.”

On the other side of the ball, Butler only hit one three-point shot after attempting five. Collins said after the game that controlling the Bulldogs’s perimeter was part of their game-plan.

Senior guard JerShon Cobb had an off night shooting. He scored five points while going two-for-eight from the field. Another normally hot hand that was a non-factor for Northwestern was junior guard Tre Demps. After starting for the first time this year, he only hit one of eight.

With their toughest non-conference game over with, Northwestern next plays Mississippi Valley State (1-7) on Dec. 14.

Halftime Notes:

— A rough end to the half despite being tied with about a minute left. Even still, have to think Chris Collins is happy with his team’s better-than-expected performance.

— Butler plays a fast-paced, high-volume passing offense that is giving the Northwestern defense fits.

— After not starting, freshman point guard Bryant McIntosh came into the game and hit his first three shots. Senior point guard Dave Sobolewski, who started in his stead, didn’t even attempt a shot.

— Junior center Alex Olah continues to stretch his shooting game out. He hit a shot from downtown, knocking down his 17th shot from beyond the arc in his career (the 4th this season). Having a center that can do that obviously is a big asset to the offense.

— Senior guard JerShon Cobb has not looked very good in this game (or this season, for that matter). He’s scored two points on four shots.

— Butler averages 72.9 points per game. Northwestern averages 60.9. After scoring cooled down halfway through the first, this is shaping up to be a low-scoring affair for both sides.

— No huge statistical discrepancies in this one yet. They are within one turnover of each other and they are within four percentage points in shooting.

Stay here for coverage from Indianapolis. Check out Preston Michelson’s pregame report.

http://youtu.be/l1soM4GUh_8

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In A Winner Take All Battle, Northwestern Did The Giving, Not The Taking

By Greg Mroz

Evanston, Ill – After last week’s win against Purdue, Northwestern knew that they could complete their playoffs, finish 6-6, and win whatever bowl game they got sent to. Before this game even begin Northwestern fans already envisioned how badly this team would beat their in state rival that was also fighting for bowl eligibility. Everything seemed in Northwestern’s favor.

But as the old saying goes, there is a reason why you play the games.

Behind backup quarterback Reilly O’Toole, Illinois came out firing on offense and seemingly never ceased, riding 438 yards of total offense and five takeaways to a 47-33 victory over Northwestern at Ryan Field. The win was the first for Illinois over Northwestern since 2011, who will be going to the postseason for the first time in the Tim Beckman era. For Northwestern, it was the same disappointment that the team and fans have felt all season long.

“It was a pretty somber locker room after the game.” Head coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “They (the seniors) poured their hearts and souls into the program on a daily basis.”

Northwestern starting quarterback Zack Oliver, starting in place of the injured Trevor Siemian, threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles in his first career start. Oliver was pulled but only temporarily.

“Not good enough.” Oliver said. “Can’t win like that, that’s on me I’ve got to be better.”

Northwestern got the ball back after an Illinois three and out at the beginning of the 4th quarter, down 33-17 at that point. On 4th and 1 from the Illini 35, Justin Jackson ran a toss play to the outside for 35 yards and a touchdown. The Wildcats went for two and Zack Oliver completed a pass to Cameron Dickerson that got the score to within a possession at 33-25. Jackson finished with 130 yards on 24 carries, finishing up a strong freshman season

“Im proud of Justin” senior wideout Tony Jones said. “I’m proud of all the young guys for how they fought throughout the year.“

Despite getting within a single possession, a bad kickoff put the Illini at the Northwestern 44 yard line, and on the third play of the drive, Josh Ferguson broke a run up the near sideline for a 46 yard touchdown that made it 40-25. The score was Ferguson’s 2nd play from scrimmage that went for 40 yards or more. He finished with 132 total yards including 95 rushing yards on 15 carries.

On the next drive the Wildcats faced a 4th and 3 on their own 43, but Coach Fitzgerald elected to punt to set up Illinois inside their own 20. Illinois didn’t score on the drive but after downing a punt inside the Northwestern six yard line, Northwestern got the ball near midfield after a 35 yard completion to Justin Jackson. But Zack Oliver threw a pick six to Mason Monheim that all but sealed the victory for Illinois, making it 47-25 Illini at the time. Despite the loss, Fitzgerald is still satisfied with the state of the program.

“I’d say that we’re pretty darn close to where we want to be. “ Fitz added. “Our program is as stable and as strong as its ever been.”

 

 

 

 

 

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FINAL: Illinois 47, Northwestern 33

By Greg Mroz

Punting down 15: Facing a 4th and 3 at their own 43, Pat Fitzgerald decided to punt. The decision proved to be costly as even though Illinois did not score on the ensuing drive, they got inside Northwestern’s 40 and punted the ball down to the Northwestern 6 yard line. The Illini capitalized on the field position with a pick 6, but still, Northwestern had momentum and couldnt keep it moving.

Defense: Illinois did not get sacked once, and Northwestern had injuries hurt their secondary to a point where only Matt Harris and Ibraheim Campbell were left from the original starters to begin the year. Reilly O’Toole burned NU on the read option all day long to the tune of 147 yards on 21 carries.

Whats Next: This article was posted before Coach Fitzgerald spoke at his press conference. His comments upcoming will be very interesting in regards to the performance, which after the wins against Notre Dame and Purdue, has to be considered one of the most disappointing in recent memory.

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3rd Quarter Reaction

By Greg Mroz

Illinois 33, Northwestern 17

Reilly O’Toole: The senior who has never had a chance to be a full time starter came to play. In addition to three touchdown passes, O’Toole has run the ball 12 times for 78 yards. He has played by far of the best games in his career, and the Chicagoland native barring a 4th quarter Northwestern comeback will be a big reason why Illinois is going to a bowl game.

Zack Oliver to Tony Jones: Oliver finally got himself in rhythm, throwing three passes for 52 yards on NU’s touchdown drive that made the score 33-17. Jones has 4 of Oliver’s 6 completions on the day. After a disastrous 1st half, Pat Fitzgerald stuck with Oliver knowing that he was the best chance Northwestern had to throw it effectively.

Justin Jackson: Quietly, Jackson has had an effective day. He has 21 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. Oliver’s ability to throw the ball more precisely has opened up the holes for Jackson. It will be interesting how Illinois will play the run when Jackson goes off tackle. He has shown all throughout the season the ability to be able to break tackles.