Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
New Mexico State (TOWC)
Wildcats Fall to New Mexico State, 64-61
11/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2004
Box Score
Game 3 Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - In Friday night's first-round game at the Top of the World Classic, Northwestern was able to overcome a slow start to down Portland.
In Saturday night's semifinal game with New Mexico State, the Wildcats could not repeat their feat.
NU allowed the Aggies to score the first 11 points of the contest, and though they gave a game effort in the second half they could never make up the original deficit and ultimately fell, 64-61.
As a result, the Wildcats will meet their second-straight team with an Aggie nickname in Utah State. USU went 25-4 last season, won the Big West Conference title, and has played in the postseason each of the last five years. Tip time for Sunday's contest will be 1:30 p.m. Alaska Time (4:30 p.m. Central).
When the first media timeout arrived in Saturday's game, Northwestern was still without a point while New Mexico State had 11. The Aggies lead expanded to as much as 14 (20-6) before the Wildcats were finally able to get things started.
NU used a 7-0 run down the stretch at the end of the first half, punctuated by an Evan Seacat three-pointer -- his third of the stanza -- that made the halftime score 33-28. NU then scored another bucket on its first possession of the second half when Vedran Vukusic shook free for a layup for his first points of the game.
That set the tone for a second half that was tight throughout. However, while several times Northwestern drew as close as one point to the Aggies, the Wildcats could not ever gain the lead.
A particular thorn in Northwestern's side was Byron Davis, who buried off-balance jumpers as the shot-clock expired on three separate occasions in the second stanza to keep NU at bay. Two of those three shots were three-pointers. Davis ended the game with a team-high 14 points. Mike Mitchell had 12 points.
As a team, New Mexico State hit 53.7 percent from the field and were 9-of-16 from beyond the arc.
For Northwestern, Vukusic recovered from a slow-starting night -- he was 0-for-5 from the field in the first half -- to finish with a game-high 16 points, knocking down 7-of-13 shots including a pair of treys. Davor Duvancic had 14 points and five rebounds, while Seacat had 13 points.
NORTHWESTERN NOTES FOR GAME 3 (Utah State)
• This is the first meeting between the Wildcats and the Aggies in men's basketball.
• NU is 2-1 combined against the schools that currently make up the Big West Conference (1-0 vs. Long Beach State, 1-1 vs. UC-Santa Barbara).
• NU has not played a Big West team during the Bill Carmody era.
• NU won its opener for the third time in the Bill Carmody era.
• NU made 10 three-point baskets Friday night vs. Portland, the 22nd time in the Carmody era that has happened.
• NU attempted 34 three-pointers Friday, the second-most in school history (record is 36 vs. Ohio State on Feb. 1, 2003), and 31 more Saturday.
• Junior guard T.J. Parker won Friday's game with a last-second shot, the third such shot of his career. He also won games as a freshman against Bowling Green, and last year as a sophomore against Arizona State.
• Parker scored 18 points Friday, his best scoring night since the 2003 Big Ten Tournament when he had 18 points in a win over Minnesota.
• Junior forward Vedran Vukusic, an consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten pick a year ago, had all of his 16 points Saturday in the second half.
• NU improved to 14-27 under Carmody when two players score in double figures (Friday), and 21-23 when three players accomplish the feat.
• Senior center Davor Duvancic tied a career high with nine rebounds Friday vs. Portland and added five Saturday.
• Sophomore St. John's transfer Tim Doyle is a perfect 3-of-3 on three-pointers this season.
• Like Doyle, freshman Brandon Lee knocked down a trey on his first collegiate shot. He is 3-of-5 beyond the arc.
• Doyle had six points, four rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes of action.
• Junior guard Mohamed Hachad has made his 44 consecutive starts, the longest streak on the team (Parker has 33 straight starts and Vukusic has 31).
• NU is in the consolation (third-place) game of an eight-team tournament for the second time in three chances. The Wildcats' previous experience in eight-team "exempt" events under Carmody:
2000 - Carolina Shootout (San Juan, P.R.)
Kent State 67, NU 58 (1st round)
NU 69, Iona 67 (consolation semi)
NU 68, Evansville 52 (consolation final)
finish: 5th place
2001 - BCA Classic (Raleigh, N.C.)
NU 78, Virginia Comm. 73 (1st round)
East Carolina 71, NU 68 (semifinal)
NU 59, San Jose State 51 (consolation)
finish: 3rd place
