Northwestern Surges Late For Win Over Penn State

1/20/2018 2:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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'Cats hold Nittany Lions without a field goal over final 10:37

By: Zach Wingrove

ROSEMONT, ILL. — A 15-2 run by Northwestern to close the game helped fuel a thrilling, 70-61, victory over Penn State at Allstate Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The #B1GCats held the Nittany Lions without a field goal during the final 10:37 of the game. The 'Cats defense also forced 14 turnovers during the contest, which they turned into 14 points off turnovers on the other end.

Four Wildcat players finished in double figures, with Vic Law leading the way with 18 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Scottie Lindsey had 13 points, while Dererk Pardon finished with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go along with four rebounds. Bryant McIntosh added 10 points along with four rebounds and four assists.

The Nittany Lions jumped out to an early lead, converting on six of their first eight shots from the field to give them a 15-6 advantage.

Northwestern's defense ramped up its efforts midway through the half and held the Nittany Lions scoreless for over four minutes in the first half.

A three-pointer by Law with 5:10 left in the first half put the Wildcats on top, 24-23, their first lead of the game. Both teams then proceeded to catch fire from the field as the lead changed eight times during the final five minutes of the half.

Northwestern made six of their final eight field goals during the back-and-forth stretch to finish the half.

At one point during that run, the Wildcats converted on five consecutive looks, including back-to-back threes from Law and Lindsey as well as rim-rattling alley oop from Gavin Skelly to first-year Anthony Gaines.

A jumper by Shep Garner sent Penn State into halftime with a 35-33 lead. Garner led all players with 17 points at the half, while Law led Northwestern with eight.

Both teams shot exceptionally well from the field in the first half, with the 'Cats converting on 46.7-percent (14-of-30) of their field goals, while the Nittany Lions shot 68.2-percent (15-of-22) from the field.

The fast scoring pace from the end of the first half carried over into the start of the second half as both teams traded buckets on the half's opening possessions.

With the Wildcats trailing by six with 13 minutes to go in the game, Jordan Ash provided some valuable minutes off the bench, sinking a three-pointer and then converting on a put-back layup minutes later to cut the deficit to 53-51.

Three consecutive baskets by Pardon, including back-to-back two-handed dunks underneath the hoop, gave the Wildcats a 61-59 lead with 4:56 to go in the game.

The Wildcats weren't finished yet as a three-pointer by Law, followed by a McIntosh jumper on the ensuing possession, extended their lead to seven points with 3:26 remaining in the game. The stretch capped off an 11-0 run for the #B1GCats, during which they held Penn State scoreless for 5:11.

Down the stretch, the Wildcats went 4-for-4 from the free throw line to put the game on ice.

Northwestern will be back in action this Wednesday, Jan. 23 when it travels to Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers at Williams Arena for the first of three consecutive road games for the Wildcats. Tip time is 8 p.m. CT with the action being televised on BTN.

Northwestern Notes vs. Penn State – Jan. 20, 2018
• This was the second meeting between Northwestern and Penn State in a 15-day span. The victory gave the Wildcats a split of the season series.
• Northwestern improves to 4-3 vs. Penn State under head coach Chris Collins. The Wildcats have won seven of their last 11 meetings overall against the Nittany Lions.
• Senior guard Bryant McIntosh started the 118^th game of his career, giving him sole possession of fifth place in school history.
• Northwestern will play five of its next six games on the road.
• The Wildcats held the Nittany Lions without a field goal over the final 10:37 of the contest as Penn State missed its final 11 field goal attempts after making 22 of their first 32 attempts.
• Northwestern's seven turnovers are its third-lowest total of the season. NU had 6 turnovers at Georgia Tech Nov. 28 and vs. Creighton Nov. 15.
• Vic Law led Northwestern with 18 points. It is the sixth time this season that he has led the team in scoring.
• The Wildcats had a convincing 65-43 edge in field goal attempts. The +22 margin matches the team's largest of the season. NU had a 61-39 edge in attempts Dec. 14 vs. Valparaiso.
• Northwestern recorded 16 offensive rebounds which led to a 17-4 advantage in second-chance points.