Rutgers Comes Back, Tops Northwestern in Overtime, 67-58

2/13/2018 9:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Coach Collins Postgame Box Score (PDF)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Northwestern led for the entire game Tuesday night at Rutgers, but the Scarlet Knights hit a late game-tying three-pointer to send the contest into overtime where the Wildcats fell, 67-58.

Senior Scottie Lindsey dropped a team-high 19 points for his third straight game with 19-or-more. Junior Dererk Pardon recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and 13 rebounds, his second-highest total of the season on the glass.

First year Anthony Gaines played a career-high 30 minutes including all of overtime. Senior Bryant McIntosh was limited to just 14 minutes due to injury.

Junior Corey Sanders bolstered Rutgers with 30 points and four assists.

Pardon started his explosive night right from the opening tip, and put in his first bucket within 20 seconds. Pardon had six of the game's first ten points and almost ended the first half with a double-double, tallying ten points and eight rebounds.

Aaron Falzon had one of his best halves on the season, posting eight points without a missed field goal. His eight points all came in a 14-4 run in the first half that pushed the Wildcats to a 28-16 lead with just over six minutes in the period.

Vic Law nailed a triple with under two minutes to go before Pardon dream-shaked his defender out of the way and hit a lay-up to give the 'Cats an 11-point lead at 33-22.

Rutgers started the second frame with a 6-0 run, but Scottie Lindsey took over the ballgame after another Pardon bucket, scoring the next nine Northwestern points, all from behind the arc, with the third triple make extending the lead to 44-33.

The Scarlet Knights would not roll over at the RAC, and clawed back into the game. Despite two more layups from Lindsey, Corey Sanders willed his team back within one at 51-50.

Lindsey drilled his 18th and 19th points from the charity stripe before first-year Anthony Gaines sank a crucial three to extend the lead to 56-50 with under a minute to play.

Rutgers sprung back to life once more with six more points from Sanders in the last minute including a game-tying three with six seconds to go.

Northwestern had a look to win the game in the closing seconds of regulation when an inbounds play sent Skelly towards the rim, but his shot was blocked as time expired.

Skelly scored the first two points in overtime, but that would be all the Wildcats mustered. Rutgers closed out the game with the last eleven points and walked away with the win.

Chicago's Big Ten Team is back in action on Saturday, when it welcomes No. 2 Michigan State to Allstate Arena to kick off a three-game homestand. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.

Northwestern Notes at Rutgers – Feb. 13, 2018
• The victory was Rutgers' first against Northwestern in six meetings since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten.
• Northwestern falls to 1-1 in overtime games this season.
• Dererk Pardon posted 12 points and 13 rebounds to record his fourth double-double of the season and the ninth of his career.
• Pardon's 13 rebounds represent his fifth double-figure rebounding game of the season and the 13^th of his career. The total is two shy of his season high of 15 recorded against Nebraska Jan. 2.
• Pardon entered the game third in the Big Ten with a .618 field goal percentage. He connected on 6 of 7 field goal attempts in the game, raising that mark to .626.
• Scottie Lindsey moved past Alex Olah into 23^rd place on Northwestern's all-time scoring list. Lindsey currently has 1,179 career points.
• This was Northwestern's fifth road game over a six-game span, the first such stretch for NU in Big Ten play since the 2002-03 season. The Wildcats will play their next three games at home.
• Bryant McIntosh handed out 5 assists in the game, raising his career total to 687 and moving him within three of Purdue's Bruce Parkinson for sixth place in Big Ten history.