Northwestern
20-8,11-6Big Ten
Illinois
19-9,10-7Big Ten
Buie's Career Night Not Enough As No 21 'Cats Fall At Illinois, 66-62
2/23/2023 10:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Senior guard pours in 35 points to lead Northwestern
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Boo Buie erupted for a career-high 35 points, but visiting Illinois roared back in the second half to deal No. 21 Northwestern a 66-62 defeat on Thursday evening inside the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.
Buie's 35-point effort, the most in a game by a Wildcat since 2011, led Northwestern (20-8, 11-6 B1G), which saw its five-game win streak come to an end. Brooks Barnhizer added 11 points and six rebounds, while Chase Audige chipped in seven points and four steals.
Paced by Audige's four takeaways, the Wildcats forced 16 Illinois turnovers that turned into 13 points on the other end of the floor.
How It Happened
Northwestern started hot, racing out to an early 14-6 lead that included a pair of Buie threes. After seeing Illinois battle back to knot the game up at 14-14, the 'Cats took off on a 10-1 run, capped off by a Barnhizer trey, that staked the visitors to a 24-15 advantage.
With the lead sitting at 29-19, Northwestern scored the half's final eight points, with another Buie trey sending the Wildcats sprinting into the locker room with a 37-19 halftime lead.
Illinois wasted no time in slicing into its deficit to begin the second half, pulling back within four, 40-36, on a Ty Rodgers layup with just under five minutes gone. Northwestern answered right back from beyond the arc, with triples by Buie and Ty Berry bookending a 12-0 run that pushed the lead to 52-36 with 11:11 remaining in regulation.
The Fighting Illini again rallied as time began to wind down, pulling even at 59-59 on a Sencire Harris layup at the 3:07 mark before a pair of Matthew Mayer free throws gave the hosts their first lead of the night, 61-59, 30 seconds later. A Barnhizer bucket inside knotted things up at 61-61 shortly after, but Terrence Shannon, Jr. gave Illinois the lead for good with 1:16 to play, finishing at the rim to edge the hosts back in front, 63-61, as the Fighting Illini went on to put the game away from the free throw line.
Game Notes
» Buie scored 22 of his 35 points on the night during the first half, surpassing his previous career-best output of 30.
» Buie is the first Wildcat to hit the 35-point mark since John Shurna put up 37 points against LSU back on November 17, 2011.
» Buie has now scored in double figures in 22 straight contests.
» Barnhizer came off the bench to contribute 11 points, his fourth game in double figures during Big Ten Confernece play.
» Northwestern finished the night with 11 steals, its ninth game this season with 10 or more thefts.
» Audige's four steals moved him into sole possession of third place on the program's single-season record board in the category.
» Audige now ranks sixth all-time in program history in steals.
Northwestern looks to get back on track when it heads east to College Park, Md. to battle Maryland on Sunday, February 26. Tip-off from inside the Xfinity Center is set for 11 a.m. (CT) in a game that will be televised on Big Ten Network.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
