#B1GCats Fall on Buzzer-Beater at Butler, 70-68

Wednesday, November 16

Indianapolis, Ind.

6 p.m.

Northwestern

2-1

Butler

2-0

Northwestern

Butler

#B1GCats Fall on Buzzer-Beater at Butler, 70-68

11/16/2016 8:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Coach Collins Postgame Highlights

Law scores 17 points to lead Northwestern

INDIANAPOLIS -- Vic Law scored 17 points, but Northwestern was clipped at the buzzer by Butler, 70-68, Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Kamar Baldwin's stepback jumper with 0.4 seconds remaining broke a tie score and was the difference.

Bryant McIntosh (12), Scottie Lindsey (10) and Sanjay Lumpkin (10) joined Law in double figures for the 'Cats.

The Wildcats got off to a good start as a pair baskets apiece by McIntosh andLumpkin gave NU an 8-5 lead at the first media timeout. McIntosh would add a free throw after the break before the Northwestern offense experienced a drought.

The 'Cats were held scoreless for a five-minute span as the Bulldogs scored six straight points to take an 11-9 lead. Isiah Brown ended the dry spell with a runner in the lane before Law hit a 3-pointer to put Northwestern back up 14-11 with 9:25 left in the half.

The Wildcats' solid defensive start saw them hold Butler to just six field goals in their first 23 attempts.

The back-and-forth affair saw NU surge in front 19-14, but seven straight by the hosts gave Butler a 21-19 advantage with under five minutes to go in the opening stanza.

With the score tied at 29 with just over a minute to go, Law drilled his third triple of the stanza in as many attempts helping the Wildcats take a 32-29 lead into the intermission.

Northwestern's defense was solid over the opening 20 minutes of play, limiting the Bulldogs to 31.4 percent shooting from the field (11-35).

Both offenses came out on fire to open the second half with Kelan Martin scoring eight points in the first four minutes for Butler and Lindsey tallying five for the 'Cats. Law also drained his fourth 3-pointer in as many tries as NU went up 42-39.

However, Martin stayed red-hot, hitting his third trey of the half, putting the Bulldogs up 46-42 and forcing NU to burn a timeout with 14:24 remaining.

Butler's lead spanned between three and five points for a five-minute span before a runner by McIntosh got the 'Cats within 54-52 with eight minutes left. Following the media timeout, a layup by Lumpkin tied the game before Gavin Skelly put Northwestern up with a 3-pointer with 7:07 to go.

Yet another 3-pointer by Law, his fifth in as many tries, extended the advantage to six, 60-54. Five straight points by Butler got the hosts back within one before McIntosh nailed to triple to push the lead back to four with 4:36 left.

Two free throws by Martin with 3:07 tied the game before a basket by Andrew Chrabascz put Butler up two with 2:32 on the clock. Two free throws by McIntosh knotted the game again, but Tyler Wideman hit two from the stripe. But a layup by Lumpkin made it 67-67.

After an offensive foul on Butler, Skelly made one of two free throws to put Northwestern up 68-67 with 1:03 remaining. After a Butler timeout, Chrabascz made one of two from the line to tie the game again with 53.4 seconds left.

Following an NU turnover on the other end, Butler called a timeout, setting up the Bulldogs' game-winner.

Northwestern returns to action Monday, Nov. 21 when it takes on Texas in Brooklyn, New York, in the Legends Classic. The Wildcats are back at Welsh-Ryan Arena Nov. 25 when they face Bryant. BUY TICKETS HERE!

Northwestern Notes at Butler
Nov. 16, 2016
• The contest was played as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games which is an annual series between the Big Ten and BIG EAST Conferences and named in honor of Dave Gavitt, founder of the BIG EAST and basketball visionary. The series is in its second year and will span eight years with games being played on home sites.
• Northwestern now leads the all-time series between the schools 16-11.
• Butler extends its home nonconference winning streak to 30 games.
• Vic Law entered the game 6 of 8 from 3-point range over the team's first two games of the season before hitting his first five attempts on Wednesday, making him an impressive 11-for-13 from behind the arch to start the season.
• Law's five 3-pointers are a career high. His previous high was three triples on five occasions.
• Bryant McIntosh recorded 5 assists in the contest, giving him 379 for his career and tying him with Shawn Watts for third place in Northwestern history.
• Scottie Lindsey's 7 rebounds were a game-high and matched his career high. He also had 7 vs. Mississippi Valley State Dec. 15, 2015.

••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!