Minnesota Edges Northwestern in Big Ten Home Opener

Thursday, January 5

Evanston, Ill.

8 p.m.

Northwestern

12-4, 1-2B1G

Minnesota

14-2, 2-1B1G

Minnesota

Northwestern

Minnesota Edges Northwestern in Big Ten Home Opener

1/5/2017 9:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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

McIntosh tops 1,000 career points, scores game-high 21

By: Jasper Scherer

EVANSTON, Ill. -- A strong second-half defensive effort and Bryant McIntosh's game-high 21 points nearly gave Northwestern the win in its Big Ten home opener, but the 'Cats fell to visiting Minnesota in a closely contested 70-66 contest on Thursday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Vic Law added 14 points and eight rebounds, followed by Scottie Lindsey's 13 points. The 'Cats limited Minnesota to 32 percent shooting after halftime and almost overcame a five-point deficit with less than 1:30 remaining.

Dererk Pardon scored all nine of his points in the second half and recorded eight rebounds, while McIntosh became the 34th player in NU history to reach 1,000 points with a late layup.

The loss snapped Northwestern's 13-game home winning streak, marking the Wildcats' fifth defeat in the last 32 games at Welsh-Ryan.

"I thought we played really hard," Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said. "It was two good teams battling it out … In those games, you've got to come up with the big shot if you want to win."

Both teams opened the game hot, with the Gophers sinking their first five shots to counter Northwestern's three straight makes. But with the 'Cats trailing 12-9, Law blocked Nate Mason's three-pointer from the top of the key, then swished a corner three on the other end to tie the game. The redshirt sophomore completed a 3-point play on a contested layup two possessions later, giving the 'Cats their first lead of the night.

Northwestern followed Law's outburst by forcing five straight empty Minnesota possessions. But the 'Cats went cold too, and the Gophers overcame a six-point deficit to jump in front 24-22. The first half then turned into a back-and-forth affair: Neither team could pull ahead by more than three points until McIntosh drove in for a buzzer-beating layup to give Northwestern a 39-35 edge at the break.

McIntosh finished the half with a game-high 14 points, followed by Law's 12 on just six shots.

The Wildcats played sharp defense coming out of the break, holding Minnesota without a field goal for almost five minutes behind a series of tough stops in the paint. Pardon hit two early mid-range jumpers, the second of which extended the NU lead to seven.

"I was really proud of Pardon," Collins said. "To me, that was a big bonus and a big positive going into our next game."

With 13:46 left and the 'Cats up 45-40, Jordan Ash knocked the ball away from Minnesota's Akeem Springs. Lindsey scooped up the loose ball, drove the length of the court and slammed it home over the pursuing Gopher defenders. The emphatic dunk brought the Welsh-Ryan crowd to its feet and forced Minnesota to take a timeout.

Northwestern continued to play lockdown defense, limiting the Gophers to a 1-of-12 start to the half. But the shots didn't fall for NU either, and a 10-0 Minnesota run behind threes from Springs and Amir Coffey put the visitors back ahead, 50-47.

"It was a tale of two games, I thought," Collins said. "In the second half, the defenses stepped it up for both teams."

Law ended the NU scoring drought with a hard-fought layup off his own offensive rebound. The 'Cats trailed 54-51 at the second media timeout. The teams went back and forth from there, and a dunk from Pardon brought Northwestern back within three, 60-57, at the 3:11 mark.

But cold outside shooting kept NU scoreless until a McIntosh layup with 0:19 left, which again closed the gap to three. The junior point guard followed with a 3-pointer on the next possession, but Minnesota hit its free throws late and held on to win.

BUY TICKETS TO NORTHWESTERN'S NEXT HOME GAME JAN. 15 AGAINST IOWA!

Northwestern returns to action at 1:15 p.m. Sunday when it travels to Nebraska.

Northwestern Notes vs. Minnesota
Jan. 5, 2017
• The loss snaps Northwestern's school record-tying 13-game home winning streak. The Wildcats had won their first nine home games this season in addition to their final four in the 2015-16 campaign.
• With his basket with 19 seconds remaining in the second half, junior guard Bryant McIntosh became the 34^th Northwestern player all-time to record 1,000 career points.
• McIntosh's 21 points marked his third 20-point game of the season and the 10^th of his career.
• McIntosh recorded 5 assists in the contest to raise his career total to 452 and tying him with current Northwestern assistant coach Pat Baldwin for second place in school history.
• Sophomore center Dererk Pardon returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous seven games due to injury. Pardon recorded 9 points and 8 rebounds in tonight's game.
• Junior guard Scottie Lindsey scored 10 points and now has scored in double figures in all 16 games this season.
• Northwestern's 12-of-13 effort from the free throw line (.923) is its best since going 14 for 15 against New Orleans (.933) Nov. 28, 2015.

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