Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
15-17
Indiana
20-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 22 | 34 | 56 |
| Indiana | 36 | 35 | 71 |
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Players Mentioned
'Cats Fall to Indiana, Eliminated From B1G Tournament
3/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO -- Alex Olah and Bryant McIntosh scored in double figures, but Northwestern had trouble overcoming an early deficit against the Indiana defense, falling 71-56 on Thursday night in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center.
The Hoosiers shot just 41.5 percent (27-for-65) from the floor, but finished with a 42-25 advantage on the glass. IU finished with 20 offensive rebounds that led to 20 second-chance points, proving too much for the Wildcats to overcome.
"Our resiliency this year is something to be really proud of, and the growth that we made," McIntosh said. "We have our core coming back, and we have some really good pieces that we're adding...We have to continue to work hard this offseason, and we kind of found out the areas we have to work on in this game."
Three Northwestern seniors - JerShon Cobb, Dave Sobolewski and Jeremiah Kreisberg - played their final game for the `Cats, and emotions ran high throughout the game, especially near the end.
"Overall, it's been a great year for us. I'm very proud of what our team accomplished this year," Collins said. "It's a step forward...It's a testament to the guys I had in my locker room. The whole core is back, and we'll be adding some pieces too. The future of our program is incredibly bright, which I'm proud of."
Northwestern's first score of the game came from Vic Law, who knocked down a three-pointer from the corner to respond to Indiana's opening score. The freshman forward then blocked Hanner Mosquera-Perea's layup on the other end.
Sanjay Lumpkin followed by banking in a jumper, giving Northwestern a brief advantage, but the Hoosiers headed into the first timeout with an 8-6 edge.
Coming out of the break, Indiana guard Yogi Ferrell's three-pointer stretched the Hoosier lead to five. From there, Northwestern had trouble against Indiana's tough defense, going nine minutes between baskets while falling behind 24-6.
"The physicality of the game, it got ramped up for the Big Ten Tournament," McIntosh said. "It was much different than in the season and I think that's one thing as a whole that we can do better at. We can get in the weight room and get prepared for next season."
Nate Taphorn ended the drought with a three, his 19th in 38 attempts this season. A nice bounce pass minutes later from Gavin Skelly to a cutting Dave Sobolewski made it 28-13 after the senior guard laid it in.
The 'Cats went back and forth with Indiana from there, using scores from McIntosh, Demps, Olah and JerShon Cobb to keep the score within 15 for most of the half. But Northwestern couldn't cut the deficit, heading into halftime trailing 36-22.
Indiana's Troy Williams opened the second-half scoring with a tip-in layup off a missed shot, but the 'Cats responded with a 4-0 run capped off by another McIntosh layup. Taphorn then knocked down another three-pointer, making it 41-28 with 16:27 left.
The teams traded hoops during the next four minutes, but Demps' driving layup brought Northwestern within single digits at 47-36.
Indiana's James Blackmon Jr. hit a pair of three-pointers soon after, putting the Hoosiers back up by 17. While the 'Cats chipped away with a midrange jumper from Lindsey and a layup from Olah off McIntosh's fourth assist, the early deficit was ultimately too much for Northwestern to overcome.
With 1:13 left, Collins subbed out Sobolewski and Cobb for the final time in their Northwestern careers. It was an emotional moment for the seniors, who spent four memorable years with the Wildcats.
"I just thanked them," Collins said when asked what he told his departing seniors. "It's not easy - you have two guys that are both really good players, and it's not easy midway through their careers to just have everything upended. A brand new coach, a new style, a new system, everything is new and it's different. I thanked them for their belief in me and our staff to hang with us...to be a part of this build."
Though Collins and his players hoped for a better finish to the season, the hope is to spend the offseason preparing for a big step forward the following year.
"The thing I loved about the locker room afterwards is that it was an emotional locker room, because that's when you know you've had a good year," Collins said. "When you see guys getting emotional and hugging each other, that means you've got a good thing going."
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