Northwestern Falls to No. 23 Maryland

2/15/2017 7:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Brown scores career-high 19 points to lead the 'Cats

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Isiah Brown scored a career-high 19 points, but Northwestern couldn't overcome a slow start as the 'Cats fell 74-64 to No. 23/24 Maryland on Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

NU went on a late-game run to close a large deficit to single digits, but Maryland's hot shooting propelled them to the win. Northwestern fell to 8-5 in the Big Ten and 19-7 overall.

Dererk Pardon added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and Vic Law scored 12 points to go with eight rebounds.

Northwestern opened the scoring on its first possession when Lumpkin passed to a cutting Pardon for a wide-open layup. The 'Cats then went cold while Maryland rattled off a 9-0 run behind a couple early 3-pointers from Justin Jackson and Melo Trimble.

Brown, subbed in early after Bryant McIntosh picked up two early fouls, ignited a stagnant Northwestern offense by scoring four quick points, including a long pull-up 3-pointer from the top of arc.

Brown's 3-pointer interrupted a 1-of-5 spell, but the 'Cats continued their shooting woes on the way to a 5-for-20 start from the floor.

Northwestern's defense kept the game from getting out of hand during their offensive struggles. Law recorded three early blocks, including an emphatic stuff on a dunk attempt by Ivan Bender.

Brown, who led NU with eight first half points, brought the 'Cats within seven with a layup at the 1:32 mark. But a 3-point play with three seconds to go by Trimble, who scored a first-half high 13 points, put Maryland ahead 32-22 at the break.

After a slow first half by both offenses, Northwestern and Maryland traded baskets on five straight possessions near the start of the second half. Lumpkin and Pardon scored for the 'Cats, and Taphorn sank his second 3-pointer of the night to make it 41-31.

Northwestern continued its solid offensive output through the under-10 media timeout, going 7-of-15 to start the half. But Maryland's deadly shooting proved too much to overcome: Trimble made four straight field goals to start the half, part of a 9-for-12 team shooting performance out of the gate.

After Maryland opened up a 62-42 lead with 7:28 to go, the 'Cats began chipping away. Brown scored nine points during a 15-4 run that included baskets from four NU players.

Trailing 66-57 with 3:16 left, Northwestern traded baskets with Maryland. Pardon cut the deficit to eight with a free throw at the 1:15 mark, but the 'Cats went scoreless for the rest of the game.

Northwestern returns to action Saturday at Welsh-Ryan against Rutgers. Tipoff is at 5 p.m. and the game is sold out.

Northwestern Notes vs. Maryland
Feb. 15, 2017
• Freshman guard Isiah Brown came off the bench to score a career-high 19 points. His previous best was 15 vs. IUPUI Dec. 20, 2016. Brown's six field goals in the game also are a career high.
• Junior guard Bryant McIntosh came into the game leading the Big Ten with an average of 5.6 assists per game and handed out 6 on Wednesday. McIntosh now has 509 career assists, the second most in school history (Michael Thompson, 528; 2008-11) and the most of any non-senior in the nation.
• McIntosh scored 9 points in the contest to move past Alex Olah into 22^nd place on Northwestern's all-time scoring list. McIntosh now has 1,165 career points.
• Northwestern played its fourth straight game without the services of junior guard Scottie Lindsey, the team's leading scorer at 15.4 points per game.
• After committing only 6 turnovers at Wisconsin on Sunday, the Wildcats again stayed below double-digits as they committed 8 turnovers against Maryland.
• Northwestern registered 8 blocked shots Wednesday. The Wildcats entered the contest ranked eighth nationally with an average of 5.8 blocks per game.
• Dererk Pardon came into Wednesday's game third in the Big Ten in conference play with a .571 field goal percentage. He raised that mark to .592 by making five of his six attempts against Maryland.