Northwestern
Michigan
Northwestern Falls to Michigan, 68-59
1/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2009
Box Score
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Kevin Coble had 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but it wasn't enough as Michigan led by nine at the half and Northwestern was never able to make it all the way back as the Wildcats fell 68-59 at Crisler Arena Saturday evening. Michael Thompson added 16 points for NU.
The loss snaps the Wildcats' two-game winning streak and moves their record to 10-7 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten. Michigan improves to 14-6 and 4-4.
Both offenses were clicking in the opening minutes of the contest with each squad converting on its first four possessions. DeShawn Sims had the hot hand for Michigan, scoring the Wolverines' first nine points.
The teams were tied 11-11 before Kelvin Grady put the hosts in front by knocking down consecutive 3-pointers to put Michigan up by six. NU's offense cooled as it missed eight out of nine field goal attempts during one stretch, allowing the Wolverines to build 22-13 lead just under the midway point of the opening half.
Michigan's advantage grew to as large as 10, but Northwestern trimmed the deficit to six before Anthony Wright's trey with 48 seconds left in the half allowed the Wolverines to take a 33-24 lead into the intermission.
Both teams struggled from beyond the arc during the opening 20 minutes of play, with the Wildcats going 4-for-14 and Michigan hitting 4-of-15.
NU crept back into the game with a strong start to the second half. Coble scored seven quick points as the Wildcats got within four at 41-37 with 15 minutes still remaining. However, back-to-back 3-pointers by freshman Stu Douglass and a fast-break layup by Zack Gibson pushed Michigan's lead right back up to 10 at 49-39.
The Wolverines led by as many as 13, but Northwestern would get back to within seven on Craig Moore's fourth triple of the night to make it 61-54 with just under two minutes remaining. After Michigan missed on the front end of the bonus on the other end, NU had an opportunity to get closer but wasn't able to convert. The hosts sealed the victory by making seven of eight attempts from the charity stripe down the stretch.
The Wildcats came into the game having forced 19.7 turnovers per game over the last three contests, but Michigan was able to withstand NU's pressure as it had just nine miscues on the evening.
Sims led the Wolverines with 15 points, while Grady added 11. Manny Harris collected a game-high 12 rebounds. Michigan went 15 for 18 from the free throw line to just 1 of 3 for the Wildcats.
Northwestern returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday as it hosts Indiana at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tickets are available online at NUsports.com or by calling 847-491-CATS.
