Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Minnesota
Men's Basketball Falls To Minnesota, 69-51
2/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb 27, 2002
MINNEAPOLIS - For the second straight game, the Northwestern men's basketball team had a hard time finding its shooting touch.
Minnesota's Michael Bauer did not have the same problem.
Bauer did not miss a shot Wednesday night, scoring 17 points to lead Minnesota to a 69-51 victory over Northwestern. He was 6-for-6 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and made both of his free throws.
Travarus Bennett scored 16 points, including seven in a 14-4 run to open the second half that gave the Gophers (16-10, 9-6 Big Ten) a 38-22 lead.
The victory moved Minnesota within one game of the four-way tie for the Big Ten lead. Northwestern (16-11, 7-8) lost its second straight. However, with the results from Tuesday and tonight, the Wildcats have wrapped up the seventh seed for the Big Ten Tournament. They are the only team out of the 11 in the Big Ten to know their seeding heading into the final weekend of regular-season play.
After Minnesota's run to start the second half, the Wildcats chipped their way back into the game, moving within 40-33 on Jitim Young's basket with 12:35 left. But Bauer scored the next five points and then capped a 14-7 run with a 3-pointer to make it 54-40 with 7:47 to play.
Young had 16 points, and Winston Blake added 14 for the Wildcats, who shot just 28.3 percent from the field. That was their worst percentage of the season, surpassing the 28.6 percent game they had Saturday vs. Illinois.
The teams combined to make just 15 of 53 field goal attempts in the first half and committed 18 turnovers.
Kevin Burleson's 3-pointer capped a 9-0 run that gave the Gophers a 17-8 lead. But the Wildcats answered with eight straight points, until Bauer put the Gophers ahead 20-16 with a 3-pointer.
Neither team scored for the next 5:06, until Bennett snapped the streak with five straight points. Minnesota led 26-18 at halftime.
Northwestern will close out the regular season at Indiana Saturday afternoon, with tipoff scheduled for 2:30 EST/1:30 CST. The Hoosiers can clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title with a win in that game.
