Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
10-9, 1-5B1G
Ohio State
15-5, 4-3B1G
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 38 | 31 | 69 |
| Northwestern | 34 | 33 | 67 |
Team Stats
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Players Mentioned
Northwestern Edged 69-67 in Thriller With Ohio State
1/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Nine different players contributed to Northwestern's scoring effort on Thursday night and Alex Olah once again turned out an impressive performance on the offensive end with 16 points, but it wasn't enough as visiting Ohio State came away with a 69-67 victory over Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
NU jumped out to a 21-10 lead and fought back from an 11-point deficit in the second half, but the Buckeyes shot 52.8 percent from the field and used a 33-point performance from freshman guard D'Angelo Russell. Tre Demps scored 14 points with four assists, and Bryant McIntosh added 12 points in the loss.
"We have a fighting group. We fight through a lot of things," Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said. "I love coaching these guys and I love the fight."
The scoring kicked off when McIntosh drove down the middle of the lane and rattled in a floater. On the following possession, Olah picked up a loose ball and swished a mid-range jumper, then hit a nearly identical shot the next time down the court. Scottie Lindsey, making his first career start, found a wide-open Demps under the basket on the break following yet another defensive stop, and Northwestern suddenly had an 8-0 lead.
After some back-and-forth scoring, Demps grabbed an errant Ohio State pass and drove the length of the floor on the break, finishing a layup in traffic. Russell, the team's leading scorer, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers on the other end, but Jeremiah Kreisberg responded with an offensive rebound off a missed Demps three. He then beat his man on the perimeter, drove inside and found enough open space under the basket to put home a layup. Senior guard Dave Sobolewski extended the advantage with a long 3-pointer from a couple feet beyond the arc along the wing, giving the Wildcats a 21-10 lead.
The Buckeyes responded quickly, going on a 10-0 run off a pair of baskets each from Russell and freshman forward Jae'Sean Tate, but Olah stopped the bleeding with a tough layup. Ohio State continued its persistent attack from beyond the arc, hitting a trio of late threes near the end of the first half, but the Wildcats kept it close. McIntosh closed out the half with a jump shot that put Northwestern within four -- 38-34 -- heading into halftime.
Lindsey brought the score to within two right after the break, receiving a pass from a double-teamed Olah that gave him a free path to the basket. But from there, the Buckeyes rattled off a 9-2 run, capped off by Russell's third 3-pointer of the night. Demps answered with one of his own to put Northwestern within six, but Ohio State went on another run to go up 54-43.
"We knew he was going to score. We were trying to make him be a high-volume shooter," Collins said of Russell, who hit six 3-pointers. "Sometimes a good shot-maker trumps good defense. You've got to tip your cap to him."
The comeback was on from there. Lumpkin hit all three of his free throws after Buckeyes guard Shannon Scott fouled him on a 3-point attempt, and Sobolewski and McIntosh knocked down two vital shots from beyond the arc to bring Northwestern within four. McIntosh then showed his passing touch, feeding a wide-open Olah under the basket to make it 56-54 in favor of the Buckeyes.
Once again, the teams went back and forth, but with his team down by three, JerShon Cobb drilled a corner 3-pointer, knotting the score up at 60 apiece. Russell followed with -- you guessed it -- another trey of his own, then added one more to put Ohio State up 66-60 with 1:50 left. Olah hit two free throws and Vic Law came up with a key steal off an in-bounds pass, and McIntosh converted on an uncontested layup to bring the Wildcats within two with just under eight seconds remaining.
Russell hit both of his free throws after being fouled on the following possession, and Demps banked in a long 3-pointer, but it was a case of too little too late as Ohio State walked away with the win.
"We're playing great. I feel for our guys," Collins said. "It's a tough thing when things are going well and you're not getting [the outcomes] you deserve."
"I think we're playing real good, spirited basketball," Demps added. "It's going to pay off."
Northwestern is back in action at 6:30 p.m. Central on Sunday when it travels to Maryland.
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