Northwestern University Athletics
Team Stats
COL
NU
FG%
.473
.525
3FG%
.417
.500
FT%
.643
.571
RB
31
36
TO
11
14
STL
6
3
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Wildcats Rally Back to Top Columbia in OT, 83-80
11/20/2015 10:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
McIntosh scores career-high 32 points to lead Northwestern
EVANSTON, Ill. – Sophomore guard Bryant McIntosh had a career-high 32 points plus six assists and while senior guard Tre Demps put up 22 points and 6 assists while playing all 45 minutes as Northwestern rallied back to beat Columbia 83-80 in overtime Friday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"I knew this was going to be a really tough game," Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said. "That's a really good basketball team. I'm still trying to figure out how we won that game. Analytically, the numbers weren't there, but I think it was our will that did it."
McIntosh connected on 11 of 17 field goal attempts, including five of six from 3-point range, on his 21st birthday.
With two turnovers in their first three possessions, as well as Columbia hitting a trio of threes in the opening five minutes the Wildcats trailed 11-5 out of the gates when Collins called a timeout.
The timeout couldn't quell the tide, as Columbia rose to five-for-eight from 3-point range, expanding its run to 12 points and taking a 17-5 lead. With the #B1GCats offense sputtering and 11:40 left in the half, shooting just 25 percent, Demps came alive.
The senior drained a three from the elbow extended, before knifing into the lane and finishing in traffic to cut the score line to 19-10. The performance continued, adding an assist and a layup, with Demps either scoring or assisting on 12 of Northwestern's first 15 points.
Despite the offense finding its footing, the Wildcats' defending was still slipping. Columbia, who season-to-date had shot just 30 percent from beyond the arc, made seven of of its first 11 attempts from three. With the Lions holding a 26 -15 lead with nine minutes remaining in the half, momentum switched.
The red-hot Lions turned Columbia blue, missing six consecutive 3-point attempts as Northwestern held them scoreless from the field for almost nine minutes. Northwestern picked up the slack with juniors Sanjay Lumpkin and Nathan Taphorn and McIntosh connecting from downtown to tie the game at 26 with three minutes left in the first.
Columbia found their rhythm again, with an 18-6 run spanning both halves, giving the Lions a 44-32 lead with 16:30 remaining. Both teams traded punches as Columbia maintained a lead hovering 10 points for five minutes.
Down 56-45 at the 12-minute mark, Demps found the bottom of the net from downtown, and senior center Joey van Zegren picked Columbia guard Grant Mullins' pocket, bringing Welsh-Ryan Arena to life. Demps added another triple with 10 minutes and change left, to bring Northwestern within five at 56-51.
The Lions and 'Cats exchanged swipes, but down 65-58 with five and a half minutes left, time for the Wildcats was quickly running out. Battling for an offensive board, Lumpkin fouled out, but his replacement sophomore Gavin Skelly had instant impact, scoring on a putback while getting fouled for a three-point play.
The NU deficit was 71-65 with three minutes remaining when Demps found freshman Aaron Falzon in the corner for a 3-pointer -- his first basket of the game -- before taking over himself. After a Columbia layup, Demps hit a floater, snared a defensive board, and dumped to Skelly, whose dunk made it a one-possession game at 74-72 with a minute and a half remaining.
After a Columbia timeout, Welsh-Ryan exploded as Skelly pulled down a rebound at the other end. McIntosh then buried a baseline fade-away to tie the game. Columbia used the full shot clock before a rebound from senior Alex Olah with 15 seconds left gave Northwestern a shot to win the game. Demps got a good look from 20 feet, but it just missed and the game headed to overtime tied 74-74.
The Wildcats shot a blistering 62.1 percent from the field (18-29) in the second half to spark the comeback.
It took six possessions for either team to get their 75th point, but after drawing a foul with 3:36 remaining, Falzon gave Northwestern its first lead of the game. The game stayed at the line, with both teams making two free throws, keeping the Wildcats' lead at one, 77-76, with two minutes remaining.
Coming out of a timeout to face a Columbia 1-3-1 zone, Demps found a hole and blew the roof off Welsh-Ryan with a triple with a minute remaining. Two free throws by the Lions got them back within two before McIntosh hit a long two to push the lead back to four, 82-78, with 25.1 seconds to go.
The Lions clawed within two through a pair of free throws, but after breaking through the Columbia press, Falzon was fouled with 9.9 seconds left. He hit one of two at the line to put the #B1GCats ahead 83-80. Columbia had one last chance after calling a timeout with 2.8 seconds remaining, but Alex Rosenberg fumbled the ball and was unable to get a shot off at the buzzer.
The Wildcats return to action against top-ranked North Carolina in Kansas City, Missouri, at 8 p.m. Monday. The contest is being televised by ESPN2.
Northwestern Notes vs. Columbia – Nov. 20, 2015
• This was the third all-time meeting between the schools. NU improved to 2-1 with the win, including 2-0 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
• Northwestern improves to 3-0 for the second straight season and the fifth time in the last six years.
• Tre Demps scored 22 points in the game, bringing his career scoring total to 1,063. He surpassed Jeff Grose for 29th place in school history in the process. Demps is just three points behind Don Adams for 28th place and nine behind Winston Blake for 27th.
• Demps hit four 3-pointers in the contest, raising his career total to 144 and moving him past Sean Wink into ninth place in Northwestern history.
• Northwestern entered the game with a 2.69 assist-to-turnover ratio (35 assists, 13 TOs), the best mark in the nation of any team that had played two or more games. The Wildcats committed nine turnovers in the first half, but only five combined over the second half and overtime.
• Bryant McIntosh scored a career-best 32 points, marking his second consecutive game with 20 points or more. He tallied 20 points in Wednesday's win over Fairfield. It is the first time in his career that he has scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games.
• McIntosh is the first Northwestern player to score at least 30 points in a game since Drew Crawford scored 30 in a win at Wisconsin Jan. 29, 2014.
• The 32 points are the most by a Northwestern player at Welsh-Ryan Arena since John Shurna scored 32 vs. Eastern Illinois on Dec. 18, 2011. It's the most by an NU player overall since Drew Crawford scored 34 at Creighton on Dec. 22, 2011.
• Friday marked Bryant McIntosh's 21st birthday.
"I knew this was going to be a really tough game," Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said. "That's a really good basketball team. I'm still trying to figure out how we won that game. Analytically, the numbers weren't there, but I think it was our will that did it."
McIntosh connected on 11 of 17 field goal attempts, including five of six from 3-point range, on his 21st birthday.
With two turnovers in their first three possessions, as well as Columbia hitting a trio of threes in the opening five minutes the Wildcats trailed 11-5 out of the gates when Collins called a timeout.
The timeout couldn't quell the tide, as Columbia rose to five-for-eight from 3-point range, expanding its run to 12 points and taking a 17-5 lead. With the #B1GCats offense sputtering and 11:40 left in the half, shooting just 25 percent, Demps came alive.
The senior drained a three from the elbow extended, before knifing into the lane and finishing in traffic to cut the score line to 19-10. The performance continued, adding an assist and a layup, with Demps either scoring or assisting on 12 of Northwestern's first 15 points.
Despite the offense finding its footing, the Wildcats' defending was still slipping. Columbia, who season-to-date had shot just 30 percent from beyond the arc, made seven of of its first 11 attempts from three. With the Lions holding a 26 -15 lead with nine minutes remaining in the half, momentum switched.
The red-hot Lions turned Columbia blue, missing six consecutive 3-point attempts as Northwestern held them scoreless from the field for almost nine minutes. Northwestern picked up the slack with juniors Sanjay Lumpkin and Nathan Taphorn and McIntosh connecting from downtown to tie the game at 26 with three minutes left in the first.
Columbia found their rhythm again, with an 18-6 run spanning both halves, giving the Lions a 44-32 lead with 16:30 remaining. Both teams traded punches as Columbia maintained a lead hovering 10 points for five minutes.
Down 56-45 at the 12-minute mark, Demps found the bottom of the net from downtown, and senior center Joey van Zegren picked Columbia guard Grant Mullins' pocket, bringing Welsh-Ryan Arena to life. Demps added another triple with 10 minutes and change left, to bring Northwestern within five at 56-51.
The Lions and 'Cats exchanged swipes, but down 65-58 with five and a half minutes left, time for the Wildcats was quickly running out. Battling for an offensive board, Lumpkin fouled out, but his replacement sophomore Gavin Skelly had instant impact, scoring on a putback while getting fouled for a three-point play.
The NU deficit was 71-65 with three minutes remaining when Demps found freshman Aaron Falzon in the corner for a 3-pointer -- his first basket of the game -- before taking over himself. After a Columbia layup, Demps hit a floater, snared a defensive board, and dumped to Skelly, whose dunk made it a one-possession game at 74-72 with a minute and a half remaining.
After a Columbia timeout, Welsh-Ryan exploded as Skelly pulled down a rebound at the other end. McIntosh then buried a baseline fade-away to tie the game. Columbia used the full shot clock before a rebound from senior Alex Olah with 15 seconds left gave Northwestern a shot to win the game. Demps got a good look from 20 feet, but it just missed and the game headed to overtime tied 74-74.
The Wildcats shot a blistering 62.1 percent from the field (18-29) in the second half to spark the comeback.
It took six possessions for either team to get their 75th point, but after drawing a foul with 3:36 remaining, Falzon gave Northwestern its first lead of the game. The game stayed at the line, with both teams making two free throws, keeping the Wildcats' lead at one, 77-76, with two minutes remaining.
Coming out of a timeout to face a Columbia 1-3-1 zone, Demps found a hole and blew the roof off Welsh-Ryan with a triple with a minute remaining. Two free throws by the Lions got them back within two before McIntosh hit a long two to push the lead back to four, 82-78, with 25.1 seconds to go.
The Lions clawed within two through a pair of free throws, but after breaking through the Columbia press, Falzon was fouled with 9.9 seconds left. He hit one of two at the line to put the #B1GCats ahead 83-80. Columbia had one last chance after calling a timeout with 2.8 seconds remaining, but Alex Rosenberg fumbled the ball and was unable to get a shot off at the buzzer.
The Wildcats return to action against top-ranked North Carolina in Kansas City, Missouri, at 8 p.m. Monday. The contest is being televised by ESPN2.
Northwestern Notes vs. Columbia – Nov. 20, 2015
• This was the third all-time meeting between the schools. NU improved to 2-1 with the win, including 2-0 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
• Northwestern improves to 3-0 for the second straight season and the fifth time in the last six years.
• Tre Demps scored 22 points in the game, bringing his career scoring total to 1,063. He surpassed Jeff Grose for 29th place in school history in the process. Demps is just three points behind Don Adams for 28th place and nine behind Winston Blake for 27th.
• Demps hit four 3-pointers in the contest, raising his career total to 144 and moving him past Sean Wink into ninth place in Northwestern history.
• Northwestern entered the game with a 2.69 assist-to-turnover ratio (35 assists, 13 TOs), the best mark in the nation of any team that had played two or more games. The Wildcats committed nine turnovers in the first half, but only five combined over the second half and overtime.
• Bryant McIntosh scored a career-best 32 points, marking his second consecutive game with 20 points or more. He tallied 20 points in Wednesday's win over Fairfield. It is the first time in his career that he has scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games.
• McIntosh is the first Northwestern player to score at least 30 points in a game since Drew Crawford scored 30 in a win at Wisconsin Jan. 29, 2014.
• The 32 points are the most by a Northwestern player at Welsh-Ryan Arena since John Shurna scored 32 vs. Eastern Illinois on Dec. 18, 2011. It's the most by an NU player overall since Drew Crawford scored 34 at Creighton on Dec. 22, 2011.
• Friday marked Bryant McIntosh's 21st birthday.
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