Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Arkansas-Little Rock
Men's Basketball Loses Opener, 53-43
11/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern University men's basketball team struggled in its home opener, falling to the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, 53-43. The young Wildcats were 16-of-55 from the field, shooting only 29 percent for the game.
The game was also the season opener for the Trojans.
Sophomore Ben Johnson led the Wildcats with 16 points including two three-pointers, while fellow sophomore Winston Blake chipped in 12. Arkansas-Little Rock was led in scoring by Stan Blackmon with 15 and Laverne Smith with 13 points. Blackmon also added eight rebounds.
Northwestern started out strong in the first half, but four consecutive turnovers by the Wildcats gave Arkansas-Little Rock a 22-16 halftime lead. NU hit just 1-of-15 three-point attempts in the first half and was 6-of-24 from the field.
The Cats warmed up a bit in the second half, connecting on 10-of-31 shots including 5-of-15 from beyond the arc. The Wildcats also struggled from the foul line, hitting just 5-of-13 free throws.
Northwestern will host Maryland-Eastern Shore on Wednesday, Nov. 22. Tipoff at Welsh-Ryan Arena is set for 7 p.m. central.
