Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Wildcats Knock Off No. 11 Badgers, 69-51
2/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb 7, 2004
By RICK GANO
AP Sports Writer
EVANSTON, Ill. - Vedran Vukusic scored 18 points and Northwestern used a big first-half run to upend No. 14/11 Wisconsin 69-51 Saturday and knock the Badgers out of the Big Ten lead.
"The win is important for us," said NU head coach Bill Carmody. "There are a lot of teams stuck in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten, and some of them are going to go north and some are going to go south. We want to be part of the group that is heading north."
Northwestern (9-11, 4-5) quickly fell behind 8-2, but shocked the Badgers with a 34-11 run over the final 13:30 of the opening half -- including a 15-0 spurt that had Welsh-Ryan Arena rocking -- and opened a 17-point halftime lead.
Jitim Young scored 17 and Davor Duvancic added 12 on four 3-pointers for the Wildcats.
Wisconsin (15-4, 6-2) -- which fell out of first-place thanks to Michigan State's win over Ohio State -- was led by Devin Harris; however, the junior, coming off a career-high 38-point performance against Minnesota, scored 16 on a 4-for-18 day from the field. Zach Morley added 15 for the Badgers.
With Wisconsin ahead 11-9, Northwestern scored 15 straight points -- its longest run this season -- as its matchup zone defense frustrated the Badgers and caused turnovers from a team known for its solid ballhandling. In fact, Saturday's game featured the two teams that led the Big Ten in turnover margin -- Wisconsin was first at +5.39 (+3.71 in Big Ten play), while NU was second at +2.63 (+6.38 in conference).
Duvancic hit a pair of 3-pointers and Young had a three-point play during the first-half spurt. Vukusic's dunk, and then two free throws by Evan Seacat after Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan was called for a technical during a timeout put the Wildcats ahead 24-11.
Young then drove and converted another three-point play, Seacat and Duvancic hit two more 3-pointers, and Vukusic's free throw put the Wildcats up 36-19 at the half.
 T. J. Parker takes the ball up the floor as Wisconsin's Devin Harris defends during the second half.  |
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"We tried to put pressure on whomever had the ball, because Wisconsin can hurt you in so many ways," said Carmody. "Things went our way, and we got energy from it. I thought our defense was good."
Duvancic's fourth 3-pointer gave the Wildcats a 20-point lead early in the second half.
Wisconsin finally gave its fans something to cheer about when Morley's second 3-pointer of the second half capped a 16-6 Badger run and got Wisconsin within 10 with 11:34 left.
But Mohamed Hachad's 3-pointer, a layup by Young, and Vukusic's trey helped the Wildcats regain control and expand the lead to 16 points.
"Teams are better in transition at home -- at least we are," said Carmody. "We are clearly better at home pushing the ball up and down the floor. And when you are playing from behind on the road, like Wisconsin was in the second half, it is difficult to come back."
The Badgers shot just 28.6 percent in the opening half (8-for-28), compared to 59 percent (13-for-22) for Northwestern. Northwestern finished the contest at 51.2 percent (21-of-41) including 47.1 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-17). The Wildcats were also 19-of-21 from the foul line in the game, led by T.J. Parker's perfect 8-of-8 day.
Northwestern fans rushed the floor after the Wildcats' second victory over a ranked team in less than a month and their sixth such win in Carmody's three-plus seasons at the helm. They beat then-No. 25 Illinois on Jan. 14.
NU is back in action Wednesday, traveling to Purdue to take on the Boilermakers. Tip time for that game is slated for 8 p.m. EST (7 Central).
