Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan
Northwestern Outlasts Michigan In Opening Round, 58-56
3/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 10, 2005
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CHICAGO - Mohamed Hachad scored 17 points, and T.J. Parker keyed a 12-0 second-half run and made three free throws in the final eight seconds to lead Northwestern to a 58-56 win over Michigan on Thursday in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Parker scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half. He spent the first part of the game on the bench, ending a string of 57 consecutive starts, excluding games missed because of injury.
"(Coach Bill Carmody) said I wasn't playing well so I had to go to the bench. No problem," Parker said.
Hachad started in Parker's place and led the Wildcats (15-15) in scoring and pulled down seven rebounds.
"I just thought we needed his energy," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody explained. "Starting at 11, the guys feel like it's dawn and I thought we had to have some energy at the start."
Northwestern (15-15) moves on to the tournament quarterfinals Friday against No. 1 Illinois. The Wildcats would need to win that game to have any chance of playing in the NIT.
Michigan (13-18) had a 26-20 halftime lead but Northwestern battled back to take a 32-20 lead on Vedran Vukusic's 3-pointer with 15:30 to go. The lead seesawed until Parker's layup with 9:58 tied the score 41-41.
Michigan turned the ball over its next three trips down the court and Northwestern converted all into points. Three more misses by Michigan and Northwestern was up 51-41 with 7:26 to play.
The Wildcats took control without either of their two big men, Vedran Vukusic and Davor Duvancic, on the floor.
"Vedran wasn't playing particularly well," Carmody said. "Then when we started scoring I just felt very good that we could keep him out."
Vukusic, who had scored a total of 48 points in Northwestern's two regular-season games against Michigan, scored only seven and the Wildcats got just 16 points from their front-court starters. Vukusic was in foul trouble both halves and played just 15 minutes while scoring a season-low 7 points.
"It was like a scarecrow, his arms and limbs falling all over the place," Carmody said of Vukusic, the Big Ten's fourth-leading scorer and a third-team All-Big Ten selection.
The Wolverines got within 55-53 with 1:08 remaining, but Dion Harris missed a chance to tie when he made one of two free throws with 9.9 seconds to go. Parker's free throws sealed the win for Northwestern.
Courtney Sims scored a career-high 25 points for Michigan, eight during the 12-4 run that got the Wolverines with two points late. Harris added 19.
"I was just motivated to win. I didn't want this to be our last game," said Sims, who played only 5 minutes in Michigan's final regular-season game. "I didn't want to sit again so I knew I had to come in and give a lot of energy and play with passion."
Both teams seemed sluggish in the early going. Northwestern committed turnovers on three of its first six trips down the floor, and Michigan missed six of its first seven shots before Harris went on an 8-0 run himself to give the Wolverines a 12-4 lead, its biggest of the game.
Northwestern has won its first-round Big Ten Tournament game the last three years.
GAME NOTES
• The No. 8 seed improves to 6-2 in games against No. 9 seeds. The No. 8 seed is 2-3 in quarterfinal games.
• Northwestern improves to 4-7 in Big Ten Tournament games, including winning its last three in first round competition. The Wildcats also improve to 4-4 in first round contests and 3-5 in tournament games played at the United Center.
• Michigan falls to 3-7 in Big Ten Tournament games (vacated 3-0 record from 1998 tournament due to NCAA sanctions), including a 1-5 mark in contests played in the United Center (vacated 3-0 record from 1998 tournament due to NCAA sanctions). In addition, the Wolverines drop to 1-3 in first round contests.
• Today was the second meeting between Northwestern and Michigan in a Big Ten Tournament game. Michigan defeated Northwestern (72-51) in the 2002 first round played in Indianapolis, IN. Today was the third meeting between the two schools this season, with each team previously winning on its home floor during the regular season.
• Both teams entered today's contest on two-game losing streaks. Michigan ends its season on a three-game losing skid.
• Michigan's starting lineup of Ron Coleman, Dion Harris, Brent Petway, Graham Brown and Dani Wohl was the Wolverines' 16th different lineup combination of 2004-05.
• Northwestern finished the game with seven fewer turnovers (NU 12, UM 19), marking the 17th time in the last 19 Big Ten Tournament games that the team with the fewest turnovers has been victorious.
• This marks the eighth straight year that Northwestern has played a first round game (4-4). The Wildcats have never won a quarterfinal contest (0-3).
• Courtney Sims scored a career-high 25 points (8-of-9 FG, 9-of-11 FT), besting his previous high of 19 set in games against Delaware State (12-29-04) and Michigan State (2-24-04). He also had six rebounds, four blocks, one steal and one assist. Sims' four blocks ties the school record for blocks in a Big Ten Tournament, marking the third time the feat was accomplished.
• Northwestern's leading scorer Vedran Vukusic, who entered today's game averaging 17.2 ppg, was held scoreless on only one field goal attempt in the first half, playing only five minutes due to being whistled for two early fouls.
• Vukusic scored his 500th point of the season on a 3-pointer at the 15:32 mark of the second half. Vukusic was whistled for his fifth foul of the game at the 3:48 mark. The junior posted season lows in points (7) and minutes played (15). His previous low was nine points (three times) and 25 minutes (at Michigan State). Vukusic scored 48 points combined in the previous two games vs. Michigan this year.
• Northwestern's Mohamed Hachad netted 17 points (7-15 FG, 3-5 FT), marking the sixth straight game the junior guard posted double figures. The 17 points was one point shy of a career high of 18. He also grabbed seven rebounds, which was also one shy of his career high of eight.
• Northwestern's Michael Jenkins posted career bests in steals (5) and assists (7). His previous high was four steals set in games against Ohio State (1-29-05) and Texas A&M-CC (2-14-05) and four assists accomplished against Iowa (2-12-05). Jenkins' five steals matches the fourth-best total in a single game in Big Ten Tournament history.
• Northwestern won only its fifth game this season when trailing at the half (5-14). The Wildcats also improve to 3-0 in games decided by two points or less (W, 75-74 vs. Iowa in overtime and W, 55-53 at Minnesota) this season. In addition, Northwestern improved to 9-0 when holding opponents to 50-59 points.
• Today marked the second time that Michigan lost by two points in a Big Ten Tournament opener. The No. 10 Wolverines fell to No. 7 Penn State (82-80) in the 2001 first round.
• Michigan led 41-39 with 10:14 remaining, then Northwestern went on a 12-0 run during the next 3:07 to make the score 51-41 and never trailed after that.
