Northwestern
11-3,2-1Big Ten
Illinois
9-5,0-3Big Ten
'Cats Catapult Past Illini with Second Half Surge
1/4/2023 10:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern utilized a 24-4 run in the second half to defeat Illinois for the first time since 2019 by a final score of 73-60 on Thursday night. Chase Audige tallied a game-high 21 points and four steals as the Wildcats improved to 11-3 and 2-1 in Big Ten play.
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— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) January 5, 2023
Boo Buie helped out with 15 points and four assists and Ty Berry chipped in with 13 points and two steals.
The Northwestern defense held Illinois shooters to only 39.7 percent from the field, including 28.6 percent from three-point range. The Fighting Illini (9-5, 0-3) were held to 60 or fewer points for the second time this season.
How It Happened
Northwestern opened the game on a 6-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Matthew Nicholson, to take an early lead with 16:56 left in the first half. The teams traded leads for the remainder of the half but the 'Cats still entered halftime with a 31-27 advantage. Northwestern capitalized on six Illinois turnovers in the period, turning them into eight points on the other end of the floor.
Illinois jumped out to a 43-38 lead before Northwestern went on a 13-0 run, finished off by Berry's three, to seize a 51-43 lead with 9:26 to go in the contest. The Wildcats continued to expand the lead, resulting in a 73-60 win. Northwestern capitalized on nine Illinois turnovers in the period, collecting 14 points off those turnovers.
Game Notes
» The Wildcats held Illinois to just five points in the first 8:24 of the game.» The 'Cats held Illinois to 27 points in the first half, only the fourth half this season the Illini have scored less than 30 points.
» Northwestern hit four threes as part of a 13-0 run over 3:20 midway through the second half, immediately followed by a 9-2 run to total a 22-2 run over 6:46.
» Northwestern attempted 40 free throws, its most against a Big Ten opponent since at least the 2010-11 season.
» The Wildcats held Illinois to 60 points, the tenth time in 14 games the Wildcats have held their opponent to 60 or less points.
» Northwestern tallied 11 steals compared to just 2 for Illinois, their most in a game against a Big Ten opponent since tallying 12 against Illinois last season (2/13/22).
» The Wildcats scored 22 points off turnovers compared to four for Illinois.
» The 'Cats 40 free throw attempts are their most in a game since attempting 43 against La Salle on Nov. 23, 2018.
» The 'Cats won the turnover battle 15-8.
» Northwestern led Illinois 14-2 in points off turnovers in the second half.
» Chase Audige scored a game-high 21 points, his fourth game this season of 20+ points.
» Audige led Northwestern with 13 points in the first half, connecting three times from deep.
» Audige scored in double-digits for the tenth-straight game.
» It is the second time in Audige's career that he has posted 20+ points and 4+ steals in a game, with the first coming this season against DePaul. It is the seventh time a NU player has done that since the 2010-11 season.
» Ty Berry hit the 100th three-pointer of his career with 9:26 remaining to give the 'Cats an eight point lead.
» Berry scored 10 points in the second half on 2-of-3 shooting from deep and 4-of-4 from the line.
» Boo Buie scored 15 points thanks to 11-of-12 shooting from the free throw line.
» 11 free throws is the most by any Northwestern player since Buie went 12-of-12 against Minnesota on Feb. 25, 2021.
The 'Cats continue Big Ten play on Sunday in Bloomington at Indiana. The game will tip off at 11 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
