Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Liberty
Men's Basketball Defeats Liberty, 66-49
12/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec 17, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - Junior Jason Burke (Plano, Texas/East) made the most of his start Monday night, scoring a career-high 16 points to lead Northwestern to a 66-49 win over Liberty at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Burke started in place of freshman Vedran Vukusic (Split, Croatia/Medical HS), who missed the contest after separating his shoulder in Saturday's win over Florida A&M.
The win was Northwestern's sixth in a row, the longest streak since a six-game streak at the start of the 1997-98 season, and the 7-1 start is NU's best since the Wildcats won their opening nine games to start the 1993-94 campaign. It was also the 11th straight home nonconference victory for Northwestern, its longest such streak in seven years.
Tavaras Hardy (Joliet, Ill./Providence) had his second double-double in as many outings, scoring 10 points and snaring 10 rebounds. Winston Blake (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) had 12 points, scoring all of them on a quartet of three-pointers. For the first time this season, sophomore Jitim Young (Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech) was held under double figures. He had nine points and four boards in 21 minutes.
Everyone on the NU roster played in the contest except Vukusic, and everyone scored.
After a sluggish win over FAMU on Saturday, Northwestern left nothing to chance Monday night. The Wildcats scored the game's first five points and later used a 12-2 run to jump out to a 37-14 lead by halftime. The 14 points were the fewest allowed by an NU team in the first half since the 'Cats held Oakland to just 13 en route to a 68-30 win on November 21, 1998.
The second half was a sloppy affair, as Northwestern had 12 turnovers and allowed the Flames to get inside 20 before the final buzzer. Philip Ward was the only Liberty player in double figures, as he had 10 points.
Northwestern will play Fordham Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in New York City. That game is the second half of a doubleheader that starts at noon, as St. John's and Wake Forest will tip off first. NU's game will be broadcast live on the MSG Network and be picked up live in the Chicagoland area by Fox Sports Net Chicago.
