Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
5-0
Miami University
2-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 31 | 24 | 55 |
| Miami (OH) | 25 | 21 | 46 |
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Strong Finish Leads Northwestern Past Miami (Ohio), 55-46
11/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PUERTO AVENTURAS, Mexico -- Northwestern continued its trend of finishing games strong, using a late 9-0 run to defeat Miami University 55-46 Tuesday evening in the Cancun Challenge at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
With the victory, the Wildcats advance to Wednesday's championship game where they'll face Northern Iowa, a 73-54 winner over Virginia Tech.
NU's defense limited Miami to 31.3 percent shooting in the contest (15-48), including 23.3 percent (7-30) in the second half.
The Wildcats came out of the gates slowly as the RedHawks scored the first six points before a pair of 3-pointers by Bryant McIntosh tied the game at 8-8.
Miami responded with eight straight points before Tre Demps ended the run with triple. The basket jump-started an 11-2 run that gave Northwestern its first lead of the game, 19-18, with 9 minutes left in the half.
A pair of baskets by Vic Law capped a 17-4 surge overall by the Wildcats during a span of 8:22 as Northwestern went in front, 25-20.
NU eventually got the last shot of the half and Demps coolly nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the 'Cats a 31-25 lead at the break. The Wildcats took advantage of a 9-0 edge in second-chance points and connected on 6 of 14 attempts from beyond the arch over the opening 20 minutes of play.
After being limited due to foul trouble in the first half, Alex Olah started the second period strong as he blocked Miami shots each of their first two times down the court while hitting a pair of baskets on the other end to make it 35-25.
The advantage was 38-28 following a 3-pointer by Law with 17:25 left when the offense went into a drought. Northwestern managed only two points over a span of 11 minutes as the RedHawks rallied to tie the game on a pair of free throws by Eric Washington with 6:12 remaining.
However, the 'Cats were able to find Olah down low for baskets on consecutive possessions to make it 44-40 in NU's favor. Sanjay Lumpkin then finished in the paint before Law drilled a trey out of the corner, making it a nine-point Northwestern run and giving the Wildcats a 49-40 lead with 3:07.
NU was able to hold on down the stretch to improve to 5-0 heading into Wednesday's title game.
The Wildcats blocked 10 shots in the contest, all in the second half, to set a school record for blocks in a half. Olah led the way with four swats and Gavin Skelly adding three. Olah and Law posted game highs of 13 points and 8 rebounds apiece for Northwestern.
Washington led the RedHawks with 12 points but was limited to 3-of-14 shooting.
Wednesday's battle of the purple cats is slated to tip at 8:30 p.m. with CBS Sports Network providing live television coverage.
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