Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
10-8, 1-4
Michigan
11-7, 4-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 32 | 22 | 54 |
| Michigan | 31 | 25 | 56 |
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Wildcats Come Up Just Short at Michigan, 56-54
1/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Alex Olah scored a season-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting but Northwestern suffered another narrow defeat, falling 56-54 to Michigan at Crisler Center Saturday evening.
The Wildcats had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but couldn't finish at the rim as the Wolverines held on for the victory.
Northwestern was connecting from 3-point range early on as JerShon Cobb, who was inserted into the starting lineup, hit a pair and Tre Demps added one of his own as the Wildcats got out to an 11-7 lead.
Michigan's switch to a zone defense cooled off NU while the Wolverines heated up behind Caris LeVert. The junior guard scored 8 points during a 18-point run by the Wolverines that put the hosts up by 14.
Northwestern eventually got things going again with a tip-in by Vic Law, a jumper by Cobb and a three-point play by Olah trimming the deficit to 27-22 with 5:46 to go in the opening half.
Michigan had no answer for Olah down low as the 7-footer scored 11 straight points for the Wildcats during a 21-6 run that ended the half. Law put an exclamation point on the comeback, nailing a turn-around jumper from the elbow that beat the first-half buzzer and gave NU a 32-31 lead at the break.
Besides Olah, the defense keyed the comeback as Northwestern held Michigan to 2-for-13 shooting to end the half.
The Wildcats extended their advantage to five early in the second period as Olah scored five quick points. Michigan was able to string defensive stops together as the Wolverines tied the game, 39-39.
Derrick Walton Jr.'s triple out of the corner gave the hosts their first lead of the half, 48-46, with 6:52 remaining. Cobb gave Northwestern the lead back with his third triple of the game, but a basket by LeVert and a three by Zak Irvin put Michigan up 53-49 with 3:48 left.
Freshman Scottie Lindsey hit a clutch triple with 1:20 remaining to pull NU within a point, 53-52, but Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman responded out of a timeout with a triple of his own to put the Wolverines back up four, 56-52.
Olah scored down low on a dish from Bryant McIntosh to once again cut the deficit to a single-possession at the 42 second mark. The Wildcats were able to get the defensive stop they needed as LeVert's jumper missed with 17 seconds, but the 'Cats were unable to send the game to overtime, dropping their third-straight game by single digits.
The Wildcats held Michigan to 34.5 percent shooting from the field and finished with a 38-29 rebounding advantage. Cobb joined Olah in double figures with 13 points for NU. McIntosh tied a season and career high with 8 assists in the contest.
Northwestern is back in action at 6 p.m. Thursday as it hosts Ohio State at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tickets are available at NUsports.com or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE.
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