Northwestern University Athletics
Sunday, December 20
Evanston, Ill.
6 pm CT
Northwestern
4-1,1-0Big Ten
79
vs
65
#4 Michigan State
6-1,0-1Big Ten
1
2
F
Michigan St.
30
35
65
Northwestern
43
36
79
Wildcats Take Down #4 Michigan State in Big Ten Opener
12/20/2020 8:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern handed the No.4 Michigan State Spartans their first loss of the season to open its Big Ten season on Sunday night, marking the Wildcats' first win over an AP top-five team since beating #4 Michigan State in 1979.
Boo Buie led the Wildcats' efforts, notching a career-high 30 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting performance, including 5-of-6 from three. It marks the second time of Buie's young career in which he has scored 25+ points against Michigan State, having also scored 26 vs. the Spartans on Dec. 18, 2019.
Pete Nance grabbed his first double-double of the year and fourth of his career, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds. T
Ty Berry also finished the night in double figures, scoring 12 points while going 4-of-5 from the field in his Big Ten debut. The rookie from Newton, Kansas added a career-high three steals on the defensive end in his 20 minutes of action.
Northwestern put on a dominant performance out the gates in the first half, scoring 43 points in the stanza while shooting 51 percent (14-of-27) from the field, including 6-of-12 from behind the arc. The Wildcats did not have any intention of cooling down in the second frame as they shot a blistering 54 percent (13-of-24) from the field as they cemented their double-digit upset.
Buie and Nance led the way in the first, combining for 25 points. Buie led all scorers with 14 after shooting a perfect three-for-three from downtown, while Nance nearly had a double-double in the first 20 minutes as he finished the first half with 11 points and nine boards.
The Wildcats were able to hold onto this lead and finish the half up 43-30, marking the first time this season that the Spartans have trailed at halftime. Thanks to staunch defense from the 'Cats, the Spartans shot just 26.7% from deep in the first frame.
The 'Cats maintained their double-digit lead all throughout the second stanza, pushing the lead as high as 21 midway through the half. Sophomore Boo Buie continued his offensive domination as he led all players with 16 more points in the second half.
Northwestern kept the Spartans from finding their rhythm from beyond the arc, keeping Michigan State to just 4-of-16 shooting from downtown in the second half. The Spartans could only muster 35 points in the second half after just 30 in the first. This marks the lowest total output for the Spartans offense since February 15th, 2020.
This marks the Wildcats' first win over the Spartans since 2012 and their first Big Ten opening win since 2017 in an overtime thriller against Illinois.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will travel to Bloomington to face the Indiana Hoosiers on Wednesday night. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m. CT.
••••••
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!
Boo Buie led the Wildcats' efforts, notching a career-high 30 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting performance, including 5-of-6 from three. It marks the second time of Buie's young career in which he has scored 25+ points against Michigan State, having also scored 26 vs. the Spartans on Dec. 18, 2019.
Pete Nance grabbed his first double-double of the year and fourth of his career, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds. T
Ty Berry also finished the night in double figures, scoring 12 points while going 4-of-5 from the field in his Big Ten debut. The rookie from Newton, Kansas added a career-high three steals on the defensive end in his 20 minutes of action.
Northwestern put on a dominant performance out the gates in the first half, scoring 43 points in the stanza while shooting 51 percent (14-of-27) from the field, including 6-of-12 from behind the arc. The Wildcats did not have any intention of cooling down in the second frame as they shot a blistering 54 percent (13-of-24) from the field as they cemented their double-digit upset.
Buie and Nance led the way in the first, combining for 25 points. Buie led all scorers with 14 after shooting a perfect three-for-three from downtown, while Nance nearly had a double-double in the first 20 minutes as he finished the first half with 11 points and nine boards.
The Wildcats were able to hold onto this lead and finish the half up 43-30, marking the first time this season that the Spartans have trailed at halftime. Thanks to staunch defense from the 'Cats, the Spartans shot just 26.7% from deep in the first frame.
The 'Cats maintained their double-digit lead all throughout the second stanza, pushing the lead as high as 21 midway through the half. Sophomore Boo Buie continued his offensive domination as he led all players with 16 more points in the second half.
Northwestern kept the Spartans from finding their rhythm from beyond the arc, keeping Michigan State to just 4-of-16 shooting from downtown in the second half. The Spartans could only muster 35 points in the second half after just 30 in the first. This marks the lowest total output for the Spartans offense since February 15th, 2020.
This marks the Wildcats' first win over the Spartans since 2012 and their first Big Ten opening win since 2017 in an overtime thriller against Illinois.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will travel to Bloomington to face the Indiana Hoosiers on Wednesday night. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m. CT.
••••••
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!
Team Stats
MSU
NU
FG%
.388
.529
3FG%
.258
.476
FT%
.500
.833
RB
33
32
TO
8
12
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
5
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
3
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