Northwestern News Network

By Jesse Kirsch

Few expected the Northwestern Wildcats (10-10, 1-6 B1G) to hold on Sunday in their first Big Ten matchup with the #13 Maryland Terrapins (18-3, 6-2 B1G). Yet they did through most of the game, although ultimately losing 68-67.

Through 20 minutes of play, Northwestern led 41 to 30. They didn’t even cede the lead until the final 20 seconds of play.

Collins’s squad, having dropped five straight Big Ten games, faced a top-ranked Maryland squad. Despite the expected challenge, the Wildcats rebounded and shot better than the Terrapins—seven of nine from the field in the first half with 17 boards. Early offensive foul trouble for Maryland helped to keep the Wildcats on top.

The second half was much tighter, with the Terrapins coming within five points of the Wildcats before Northwestern widened the margin. Yet the ‘Cats proved unable to combat the full court press late in the game, suffering a few turnovers and a 10-second violation in the process. A late spark propelled the Wildcats onward, with Bryant McIntosh leading the way—the freshman guard had 21 points and 3 assists.

He didn’t just score; he made it look pretty. The pull-up “j” and floaters seemed to fall every time as he coasted down the lane. Sanjay Lumpkin had 12 points and six rebounds to help his rookie teammate.

This would all prove irrelevant as the Terrapins sprung forward late in the game; Maryland continually chipped away at the Wildcat lead. Tre Demps hit a mid-range jumper that coulda, woulda, shoulda been the game winner. But a Maryland put-back off the glass by forward Dez Wells sealed the game’s fate.

Coach Chris Collins called it “an extremely disappointing result,” as his young team ended the night with its fifth straight loss by seven points or fewer.

Northwestern has now lost six straight after an initial Big Ten win at Rutgers just before the new year. Coach Collins and his squad have less than a week to swallow this nail-biter of a loss before the Boilermakers visit Evanston next Saturday.

If you ask Collins, he’ll never count his team out of the fight.

“We just need to get more confident at the end.”

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.

— 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.

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