Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Edged By Rutgers, 80-75
12/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec 28, 2003
EL PASO, Texas (AP) - Despite 26 points from Vedran Vukusic and a spirited comeback in the second half, the Northwestern men's basketball team fell to Rutgers, 80-75, Saturday night in a first-round game at the Sierra Providence SunClassic at the Don Haskins Center.
The Wildcats (5-5) will now face Mississippi Valley State in Sunday's consolation game. The Delta Devils fell to UTEP, 84-63, in Saturday's first contest.
Herve Lamizana scored 21 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and blocked a tournament-record eight shots to lead Rutgers.
Northwestern looked like it was in trouble early in the second half, when Rutgers expanded upon its eight-point halftime lead with the first five points of the stanza. That made the score 47-34, but it was the biggest lead the Scarlet Knights would have.
Using a balanced attack, the 'Cats quickly chipped away at the lead. NU scored nine straight points in a span of four minutes to make the score 47-43, then hung around to keep the Knights nervous.
NU even had a chance to tie it with 9:33 to play, but Jitim Young hit one of two foul shots following a Rutgers technical, and then the 'Cats missed on the ensuing possession. Rutgers blew the lead back up to as much as nine (75-66), before NU made one final charge.
First, Mohamed Hachad hit a layup, and then after a Rutgers turnover Evan Seacat drained a long three-pointer. Rutgers' Ricky Shields hit one of two free throws, but that was followed by a Young layup that cut the Knights' lead to 76-73 with 23 seconds left.
However, two free throws each by Lamizana and Marquis Webb in the closing seconds gave the Scarlet Knights an 80-73 lead with nine seconds remaining.
Shields led Rutgers with 24 points and Quincy Douby added 10. Webb had six assists.
Young finished with 20 points, six rebounds and four steals on the night, while Seacat had 11 points.
