Northwestern
20-7,11-5Big Ten
Iowa
17-10,9-7Big Ten
'Cats Win Fifth Straight, Race Past Iowa, 80-60
2/19/2023 7:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Buie pours in game-high 23 points as Northwestern picks up 20th win
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern shot a blistering 49 percent from the field as it jumped all over Iowa from the opening tip in an 80-60 win over the visiting Hawkeyes on Sunday evening inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Make that 11 conference wins and five in a row for the WWWWWildcats ?? pic.twitter.com/AIZAliZ6gL
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) February 20, 2023
The Wildcats (20-7, 11-5 B1G), who have now won five straight games in conference play for the first time since 2016-17, had three players score in double figures, led by Boo Buie, who poured in 23 points and dished eight assists. Ty Berry added 16 points, while Brooks Barnhizer chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Paced by Buie's eight helpers, Northwestern piled up 15 assists on 27 made baskets. The 'Cats frustrated the Hawkeyes all night on the defensive end, forcing 15 Iowa turnovers that turned into 14 points at the other end of the floor.
How It Happened
Northwestern got an electric Welsh-Ryan Arena crowd involved early, opening play on an 11-3 tear that prompted an Iowa timeout following a triple from Buie with under four minutes gone. The Hawkeyes slowly chipped away, trimming the gap to 16-12 on a Peyton Sandfort three near the midway point of the frame.
The 'Cats responded to Iowa's push, with a Buie jumper pushing the lead into double digits, 23-13, at the 4:11 mark. Buie connected again from distance two minutes later, extending the gap to 31-17 as the Wildcats raced into halftime with a 37-26 advantage.
Iowa battled back within nine on a pair of separate occasions early in the second half, the second of which came on a Filip Rebraca jumper with 15:27 remaining that made it 45-36. After a Kris Murray conventional three-point play closed the margin to 47-40, Northwestern put to rest any hopes of an Iowa comeback, with a Barnhizer trey reestablishing a 10-point lead, 50-40, before another Wildcat onslaught saw the lead balloon to 71-47 on two Berry makes from the charity stripe with just under five minutes to play. The Wildcats coasted to the finish line from there, wrapping up a 13th victory on their home floor in 2022-23.
Game Notes
» Buie was terrific, leading all scorers with 23 points.
» Buie has now scored in double figures in 20 straight contests.
» Berry's 16-point effort marked his first game in double figures since January 25 against Nebraska.
» Barnhizer led an impressive showing by Northwestern's bench, adding 12 points and seven rebounds.
» The Wildcats' bench accounted for 23 points on the night.
» Led by three triples apiece from Buie and Berry, Northwestern operated at a red-hot 50 percent clip (10-for-20) from beyond the three-point arc.
» In contrast, Iowa closed the night a frigid 3-for-24 (12.5%) from distance.
Northwestern opens a stretch that sees it close the regular season by playing three of four games away from home on Thursday, February 23 as it heads downstate to Champaign, Ill. for a clash with in-state rival Illinois in an 8 p.m. tip-off that will be televised on Big Ten Network.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
