Northwestern
9-2,1-0Big Ten
UIC
8-5,0-2MVC
Wildcats Douse Flames in 92-54 Crosstown Win
12/20/2022 10:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Five Wildcats scored in double figures as Northwestern recorded its fourth straight win and routed the UIC Flames 92-54 at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Tuesday night.
Brought the Heat ??
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) December 21, 2022
'Cats are 9-2 ?? pic.twitter.com/BJijTfkd66
The Wildcats, who are 9-2 for the first time since 2016-17, were led by Chase Audige, who had 19 points after a 28-point performance against DePaul on Saturday. Brooks Barnhizer added a career-high 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists off the bench and Boo Buie helped out with 16 points and five assists.
Northwestern did an excellent job taking care of the basketball, dishing out 20 assists while turning the ball over just nine times. Barnhizer's career-high five assists led the Wildcats.
Northwestern's defense held UIC to just 38.6 percent shooting from the field. The Flames did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with four offensive rebounds and managed five second chance points while Northwestern cleared 28 defensive rebounds. The Wildcat defense allowed fewer than 60 points for the eighth time in 11 games this season.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 32-18 advantage, Northwestern went on a 6-0 run with 5:24 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Buie, to increase its lead to 38-18. The Wildcats then entered halftime with a 42-21 advantage. Northwestern did most of its first half damage inside, scoring 30 of its 42 points in the paint.
Following intermission, Northwestern widened the lead, expanding it to 67-36 before going on a 9-0 run to grow the lead to 76-36 with 6:56 to go in the contest. The Wildcats cruised the rest of the way for the 92-54 win.
Game Notes
» Northwestern never trailed on the way to a 92-54 victory.» The Wildcats recorded 20 total assists in the game.
» The NU bench made an impact by scoring 38 points.
» Five 'Cats scored in double figures 10 or more points (Audige 19, Barnhizer 18, Buie 16, Roper 12, Beran 10).
» Northwestern has won back-to-back games by 35+ points for the first time since doing so against Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Chicago State in December 2020.
» NU forced 20+ turnovers for the second consecutive game for the first time since Dec. 14, 2017 (Chicago State and Valparaiso)
» Brooks Barnhizer and Julian Roper II came off the bench to score 18 and 12 points, respectively.
» The Wildcats turned 21 turnovers into 31 points on the offensive end.
» Northwestern cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 16 offensive boards in the game for 18 second-chance points.
» Chase Audige led the Wildcats with a game-high 19 points.
» Brooks Barnhizer posted career highs in points (18), rebounds (8), and assists (5).
» Julian Roper II scored a career-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
