Hot-Shooting Wildcats Blow Past Hawkeyes at Welsh-Ryan Arena

Sunday, January 15

Evanston, Ill.

6:30 p.m.

Northwestern

15-4, 4-2B1G

Iowa

11-8, 3-3B1G

Iowa

Northwestern

Hot-Shooting Wildcats Blow Past Hawkeyes at Welsh-Ryan Arena

1/15/2017 8:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Highlights Coach Collins Postgame Lindsey/McIntosh Postgame

Lindsey scores 22, McIntosh adds 20 in dominant victory

By: Jasper Scherer

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern found its offensive groove early and never slowed down, shooting almost 60 percent from the floor while assisting on 29 of their 37 field goals as the Wildcats rolled to an 89-54 win over Iowa Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

The win was NU's third in a row and improved it to 4-2 in the conference and 15-4 overall.

BUY TICKETS TO NORTHWESTERN'S NEXT HOME GAME JAN. 26 AGAINST NEBRASKA!

Bryant McIntosh scored 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting and dished out a season-high 10 assists. Scottie Lindsey poured in 14 second-half points on his way to a game-best 22, along with eight rebounds and five assists.

The 'Cats outscored Iowa 42-18 in the paint and capitalized on 14 Hawkeye turnovers with a 16-6 edge on points off takeaways. Dererk Pardon (14) and Vic Law (12) also scored in double figures.

Pardon set the tone early for what would prove to be a dominant first half for the 'Cats. The sophomore tapped in a putback layup on Northwestern's first possession, then followed with a block on the other end. Two 3-pointers later — first Lindsey, then McIntosh — and the 'Cats had an 8-0 lead.

Northwestern continued its torrid start, hitting 8 of its first 12 shots on the way to a 19-9 lead. Pardon and Lumpkin helped limit the Hawkeyes inside, forcing them to score 16 of their first 22 points from outside the paint.

"Dererk's a terrific player," Collins said. "He's just our anchor. He and Sanjay back there, they provide the toughness for our team."

After Iowa closed the gap to 25-22, Northwestern rattled off a 14-1 run, capped by an emphatic Gavin Skelly dunk to extend the 'Cats lead to 16. The basket put NU at 17-for-29 on the evening, including a 6-of-7 start by McIntosh.

The 'Cats finished the half with a 44-32 lead, their best first-half output since scoring 51 against Penn State in the Big Ten opener. NU assisted on 14 of its 19 first-half buckets, including a game-high four assists from McIntosh, and Northwestern out-rebounded Iowa 21-13 while forcing nine Hawkeye turnovers.

Iowa had gone on a 9-5 run to close the first half, but Northwestern extended the lead to 18 when Lindsey knocked down his second shot of the half, a jumper off a dish from Pardon. The 'Cats went cold after that, and Iowa closed the gap to single digits, 56-47, but that was the closest the Hawkeyes would come.

Pardon halted Iowa's momentum with a dunk set up by McIntosh's eighth assist, the start of what would become a 26-3 Northwestern run. Four different Wildcats scored 3-pointers during the run, and Pardon registered four dunks.

At one point, Lindsey stole the ball on back-to-back possessions and scored at the other end both times, including a fastbreak slam that expanded the lead to 76-50.

"Coach asks me to make plays on the offensive end and the defense end and be a two-way player," Lindsey said. "I try to do anything I can to help our team on defense and offense."

During part of the run, Northwestern held Iowa to one field goal in a nine-minute stretch. The Hawkeyes came in averaging 78.8 points per game in the Big Ten this year, but the 'Cats held them to 8-of-27 shooting in the second half, closing the game on a 33-7 run.

The 35-point margin was NU's biggest-ever margin of victory against Iowa.

"I wanted so badly to play well for these fans in a big game at home," Collins said. "I think people are starting to really embrace who my guys are. They play really hard."

Northwestern returns to action next Sunday against Ohio State in Columbus. Tipoff is scheduled for noon. The Wildcats then return home to host Nebraska at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26

Northwestern Notes vs. Iowa
Jan. 15, 2017
• Northwestern's 35-point margin of victory is its largest ever over Iowa. The previous high was a 25-point 41-16 win on March 2, 1931 in the last game of the season, clinching a Big Ten title for the Wildcats.
• Northwestern's .597 field goal percentage is its best in a game since shooting .610 in a win over Sacred Heart on Dec. 21, 2015.
• The Wildcats dished out 29 assists Sunday, NU's second most ever in a Big Ten game. Northwestern handed out a school-record 33 assists against Rutgers Feb. 27, 2016.
• Bryant McIntosh posted 20 points and 10 assists in the game to record the second double-double of his career.
• McIntosh recorded the fifth double-digit assist game of his career and his first this season.
• Scottie Lindsey scored a game-high 22 points and has now scored in double figures in all 19 games this season. It's the longest streak by an NU player since John Shurna scored in double figures in 22 straight games during the 2011-12 season. It's the longest streak to start a season since Evan Eschmeyer did it 24 straight games to open the 1998-99 campaign. Eschmeyer was in attendance at Sunday's game.
• McIntosh recorded his fourth 20-point game of the season and the 11^th of his career while Lindsey posted his third of the season and fourth of his career.
• Northwestern matched a season high with 11 3-point field goals. It is the fifth time this year that the Wildcats have hit 11 triples in a game.
• NU's +15 rebounding margin (39-24) is its best since the season-opener against Mississippi Valley State Nov. 11.
• Northwestern's 10 steals are a season high. The previous high was 9 vs. Wake Forest Nov. 28.
• Iowa's Peter Jok came into the game leading the Big Ten with an average of 22.9 points per game but was held to 4 points by the Wildcats on Sunday. It's the first time Jok has been held to single-digit points this season.
• Iowa entered the contest ranked second in the Big Ten with an average of 83.0 points per game, but the Wildcats held the Hawkeyes 29 points below their average.

••••••
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!