Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, December 1
Rosemont, Ill. (Allstate Arena)
8 p.m.
Northwestern
5-3, 1-0B1G
72
vs
68
Illinois
6-2, 0-1B1G
1
2
OT 1
F
Illinois
36
27
5
68
Northwestern
32
31
9
72
Team Stats
ILL
NU
FG%
.415
.390
3FG%
.167
.348
FT%
.808
.857
RB
36
32
TO
19
17
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
7
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballNU Opens B1G Play With Overtime Thriller Over Illini, 72-68
12/1/2017 10:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Northwestern wins league opener for fourth straight year
ROSEMONT, Ill. — It took more than 40 minutes to decide, but fueled by a second-half comeback and a strong defensive effort down the stretch, Northwestern (5-3, 1-0 Big Ten) came up with a thrilling, 72-68, overtime victory over in-state rival Illinois (6-2, 0-1 Big Ten) on Friday in the Big Ten opener for both teams at Allstate Arena.
Senior Scottie Lindsey led the scoring efforts for the Wildcats, finishing with a game-high 22 points, while Vic Law chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds. Bryant McIntosh finished with 14 points and a team-high six assists and Dererk Pardon also added six points, four rebounds and four blocks, including one in the final seconds of overtime to seal the game for the 'Cats.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead thanks to hot start from Law, who hit a three pointer for the game's first points, followed by a pull-up jumper on the next possession.
Although shots weren't falling for much of the first half, the 'Cats were able to stay in the game by getting to the free throw line. NU entered the game with a .763 free throw percentage as a team, which ranked second best in the conference, and improved those impressive numbers by going 11-of-14 from the charity stripe in the first half.
Northwestern trailed, 26-18, with 6:12 remaining in the first half but promptly cut the Illini lead to just one thanks to a 9-2 run. Moments later, after a pair of Illinois free throws, a triple by McIntosh tied the score at 30. However, Illinois entered halftime with a 36-32 lead.
Law finished the half leading all scorers with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. McIntosh had eight points and two assists, while Aaron Falzon and Lindsey each contributed to the scoring effort with seven points apiece.
The #B1GCats came out blazing hot to start the second half with a 7-0 run to give them a three-point lead, their first lead in over 15 minutes of action. Pardon jumpstarted the run with a layup on the first possession of the half, then moments later Lindsey converted on his first three of the night to give Northwestern a 37-36 lead. A dunk by Law, followed by a Pardon block on the other end had the crowd at Allstate Arena rocking.
Both teams traded buckets for the next 10 minutes of the half as the intensity of the game ramped up. With 9:30 left in the second half, McIntosh hit a floater as he was fouled and then converted on the free throw to tie the score at 49. After an Illinois basket on the ensuing possession, Pardon tied the score back up at 51 with an emphatic dunk.
Northwestern regained the lead with 3:34 remaining in the game when Lindsey skied over an Illinois defender for a two-handed slam to put the Wildcats on top, 60-59. After Illinois converted on a pair of free throws, Law drained a three on the ensuing possession to give NU a two-point lead.
Tied 63-63 in the final minutes, both defenses ramped up their efforts, with no team scoring in the final 2:49 of regulation to send the game into overtime.
With the score tied at 68 and just under a minute remaining in overtime, Lindsey converted on a pair of free throws to put the Wildcats on top. Holding a two-point lead, the #B1GCats came up with two defensive stops, highlighted by a block by Pardon with three seconds remaining, to seal the game.
Friday's game marks the first time Northwestern went to overtime since they faced Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament in 2016 and the Wildcats' first overtime win since they defeated DePaul, 78-70, on December 19, 2015.
Northwestern returns to action at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday when it travels to West Lafayette to take on Purdue for its first conference road game of the season. Action will be televised on BTN.
Northwestern Notes vs. Illinois – Dec. 1, 2017
• This was the lone regular-season matchup between Northwestern and Illinois.
• December 1 marks the earliest that Northwestern has ever played a Big Ten Conference game.
• This is the fourth straight year that the Wildcats have won their Big Ten opener.
• Northwestern made its first change to the starting lineup as junior guard Jordan Ash and redshirt sophomore forward Aaron Falzon started in place of Scottie Lindsey and Gavin Skelly.
• The starting nod was the first of Ash's career and the 30th for Falzon. Falzon started 29 games during his first year with the Wildcats in 2015-16.
• Senior guard Bryant McIntosh made his first free throw of the game, but missed his second. The miss snapped his streak of 20 consecutive makes from the free throw line to open the season.
• Northwestern forced 19 turnovers by Illinois in the contest. The Wildcats have forced an average of 19.0 turnovers per game over the last three contests.
• This was Northwestern's first overtime game since March 10, 2016 when it fell 72-70 to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament.
• Northwestern and Illinois played their first overtime game against one another since an 89-83 win by the Illini Dec. 30, 2009 in Champaign. It's the first overtime for Northwestern over Illinois since a 23-21 win Feb. 12, 1916.
• Scottie Lindsey scored a game-high 22 points off the bench. It is his fourth 20-point game of the season and the ninth of his career.
• Dererk Pardon blocked a Northwestern season-high four shots in the game. His career best is eight Jan. 12, 2017 at Rutgers.
• Northwestern connected on 85.7 percent (18-21) of its free throws in the contest. NU entered the game with a team free throw percentage of .763 which trailed only Illinois (.764) in the Big Ten entering the game.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Senior Scottie Lindsey led the scoring efforts for the Wildcats, finishing with a game-high 22 points, while Vic Law chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds. Bryant McIntosh finished with 14 points and a team-high six assists and Dererk Pardon also added six points, four rebounds and four blocks, including one in the final seconds of overtime to seal the game for the 'Cats.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead thanks to hot start from Law, who hit a three pointer for the game's first points, followed by a pull-up jumper on the next possession.
Although shots weren't falling for much of the first half, the 'Cats were able to stay in the game by getting to the free throw line. NU entered the game with a .763 free throw percentage as a team, which ranked second best in the conference, and improved those impressive numbers by going 11-of-14 from the charity stripe in the first half.
Northwestern trailed, 26-18, with 6:12 remaining in the first half but promptly cut the Illini lead to just one thanks to a 9-2 run. Moments later, after a pair of Illinois free throws, a triple by McIntosh tied the score at 30. However, Illinois entered halftime with a 36-32 lead.
Law finished the half leading all scorers with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. McIntosh had eight points and two assists, while Aaron Falzon and Lindsey each contributed to the scoring effort with seven points apiece.
The #B1GCats came out blazing hot to start the second half with a 7-0 run to give them a three-point lead, their first lead in over 15 minutes of action. Pardon jumpstarted the run with a layup on the first possession of the half, then moments later Lindsey converted on his first three of the night to give Northwestern a 37-36 lead. A dunk by Law, followed by a Pardon block on the other end had the crowd at Allstate Arena rocking.
Both teams traded buckets for the next 10 minutes of the half as the intensity of the game ramped up. With 9:30 left in the second half, McIntosh hit a floater as he was fouled and then converted on the free throw to tie the score at 49. After an Illinois basket on the ensuing possession, Pardon tied the score back up at 51 with an emphatic dunk.
Northwestern regained the lead with 3:34 remaining in the game when Lindsey skied over an Illinois defender for a two-handed slam to put the Wildcats on top, 60-59. After Illinois converted on a pair of free throws, Law drained a three on the ensuing possession to give NU a two-point lead.
Tied 63-63 in the final minutes, both defenses ramped up their efforts, with no team scoring in the final 2:49 of regulation to send the game into overtime.
With the score tied at 68 and just under a minute remaining in overtime, Lindsey converted on a pair of free throws to put the Wildcats on top. Holding a two-point lead, the #B1GCats came up with two defensive stops, highlighted by a block by Pardon with three seconds remaining, to seal the game.
Friday's game marks the first time Northwestern went to overtime since they faced Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament in 2016 and the Wildcats' first overtime win since they defeated DePaul, 78-70, on December 19, 2015.
Northwestern returns to action at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday when it travels to West Lafayette to take on Purdue for its first conference road game of the season. Action will be televised on BTN.
Northwestern Notes vs. Illinois – Dec. 1, 2017
• This was the lone regular-season matchup between Northwestern and Illinois.
• December 1 marks the earliest that Northwestern has ever played a Big Ten Conference game.
• This is the fourth straight year that the Wildcats have won their Big Ten opener.
• Northwestern made its first change to the starting lineup as junior guard Jordan Ash and redshirt sophomore forward Aaron Falzon started in place of Scottie Lindsey and Gavin Skelly.
• The starting nod was the first of Ash's career and the 30th for Falzon. Falzon started 29 games during his first year with the Wildcats in 2015-16.
• Senior guard Bryant McIntosh made his first free throw of the game, but missed his second. The miss snapped his streak of 20 consecutive makes from the free throw line to open the season.
• Northwestern forced 19 turnovers by Illinois in the contest. The Wildcats have forced an average of 19.0 turnovers per game over the last three contests.
• This was Northwestern's first overtime game since March 10, 2016 when it fell 72-70 to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament.
• Northwestern and Illinois played their first overtime game against one another since an 89-83 win by the Illini Dec. 30, 2009 in Champaign. It's the first overtime for Northwestern over Illinois since a 23-21 win Feb. 12, 1916.
• Scottie Lindsey scored a game-high 22 points off the bench. It is his fourth 20-point game of the season and the ninth of his career.
• Dererk Pardon blocked a Northwestern season-high four shots in the game. His career best is eight Jan. 12, 2017 at Rutgers.
• Northwestern connected on 85.7 percent (18-21) of its free throws in the contest. NU entered the game with a team free throw percentage of .763 which trailed only Illinois (.764) in the Big Ten entering the game.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
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