Northwestern
Illinois
Northwestern Downed By No. 20 Illinois, 73-61
2/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb 22, 2003
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CHICAGO - Playing its first regular-season game at the United Center and making its CBS television debut, the Northwestern men's basketball team followed a pattern against Illinois that was eerily similar to its contest with Minnesota three days earlier.
Whereas NU cut a 27-point lead to five against the Gophers in rapid fashion, on Saturday it was an 18-point first-half deficit that the 'Cats gradually chipped away at until it was just four (59-55) when Jitim Young drove the lane for an uncontested layup with just under six minutes to play.
"Against Minnesota, the way we got back into the game was haphazard and crazy," said head coach Bill Carmody. "But Saturday's game was more controlled."
The Wildcats even had a chance to get it within two points when Illinois turned the ball over on its next possession, but NU reciprocated when Young received a pass in front of the Wildcat bench and was ruled out of bounds. Thirty seconds later, Brian Cook hit a 10-foot jump shot, propelling a 10-2 Illinois run over the next three minutes to put the game out of reach.
Saturday's game -- a historic one for NU, given the venue and the television -- got off to a bad start for the Wildcats. Illinois was on fire in the first half, and quickly pulled away from a 9-7 lead with a 16-3 run that upped the advantage to 25-10. Jason Burke hit a three-pointer to briefly stop the bleeding, but Illinois responded with six more points to make the score 31-13.
However, the 'Cats slowly clawed their way back into contention, getting the deficit back inside single digits before going into the locker room down 10 (43-33).
Burke had one of the best games of his career in leading NU. He began the game with a thunderous slam-dunk follow of an Aaron Jennings miss, and that served as a harbinger of big things as he finished with a team-high 15 points. Jennings came up with 13 points and a team-leading seven rebounds, while T.J. Parker also scored 13 points.
For Illinois, Roger Powell had a monstrous first half en route to scoring a career-high 20 points, while Dee Brown added 18. Brian Cook, a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate, had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Northwestern is off this week before returning to action Saturday with Penn State at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The game is slated to tip off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN.
