Northwestern
7-4
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Western Michigan
6-4
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Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Strong Second Half Leads 'Cats Past Broncos, 67-61
12/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Tre Demps scored 17 points and Northwestern used a strong second half to defeat Western Michigan 67-61 Saturday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The victory inproves NU to 7-4 on the season while WMU falls to 6-4.
The Broncos were connecting from beyond the arch early in the contest as a trio of 3-pointers helped the guests surge out to an 11-2 lead five minutes into the contest.
However, the Wildcats' defense tightened and the offense got things going as Alex Olah's layup capped a 9-2 run that got NU within 13-11 with 8:34 remaining in the opening half.
WMU pushed its lead back up to six, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Demps and Nathan Taphorn gave Northwestern its first lead of the game, 21-19, with six minutes to go before the break.
The visitors would eventually take a 28-25 advantage into the intermission as Western Michigan went 6 of 14 from 3-point range to only 2 of 11 for Northwestern.
The 'Cats got the second half off to a good start as it started the period on a 7-1 run thanks to a baseline jumper by Demps and baseline slam by Scottie Lindsey and a 3-pointer by Demps to make it 32-29.
The lead was three with just under 13 minutes left when Gavin Skelly hit a tough reverse as the shot clock expired and an ensuing technical foul was called on the Western Michigan bench. Two free throws by Dave Sobolewski put NU up 43-36.
The lead was five with 5:30 to go when Bryant McIntosh drove baseline and scored to put Northwestern up 53-46.
The Wildcats were up four when McIntosh drained a big triple to make it 58-51 with 2:09 remaining. NU's lead was a precarious five with 1:16 to go when Taphorn came up with a big offensive rebound. He drew a foul on the play and made two free throws, pushing the lead back up to seven and helping seal the win.
Northwestern shot 50 percent from the field in the second half in out-scoring the Broncos 42-33 after the break. McIntosh dished out a career-best 8 assists while Olah matched a career best with 12 rebounds. The 'Cats got a good boost from their bench, paced by Taphorn who posted 10 points.
The Wildcats are back in action at 1 p.m. Monday when they host UIC at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tickets are available at NUsports.com or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE. The contest is "Take a Kid to a Game Day." One paid adult admission on the day of the game gets two children in the eighth grade and under into the contest free of charge.
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