Northwestern
17-8,8-6Big Ten
Rutgers
14-10,6-7Big Ten
Buie Surpasses 2,000 Career Points, 'Cats Fall At Rutgers, 63-60
2/15/2024 7:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Boo Buie further etched his name in Wildcat history by surpassing 2,000 points for his career as Rutgers (14-10, 6-7 B1G) battled back to hand Northwestern a 63-60 defeat this evening inside Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, N.J.
Buie led the Wildcats (17-8, 8-6 B1G) with 27 points, his 12th outing of 20 or more points this season. Brooks Barnhizer joined him in double figures, adding 11 points to go along with a career-best 14 rebounds. Justin Mullins came off the bench to add eight points and recorded a game-high four blocks. Matt Nicholson also impressed on the defensive end, adding three rejections.
How It Happened
Scoring came at a premium in the opening minutes, as both teams struggled to settle into a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor. Back-to-back buckets from Nick Martinelli gave Northwestern a 6-5 edge and sparked a 15-0 Wildcat run. The surge included a trio of threes from Buie, the last of which at the 10:43 mark saw the graduate student join John Shurna as one of only two players in program history to reach 2,000 career points.
After seeing Rutgers chip back within six, 17-11, on a Jeremiah Williams fast break score, Barnhizer connected on a mid-range jumper that helped the 'Cats stem the tide, pushing the gap back to eight, 19-11. Mullins provided a spark off the bench, knocking down a long two that gave Northwestern its largest lead of the opening stanza, 26-13, with just over five minutes remaining.
The hosts looked to grab momentum heading into the locker room, as threes on consecutive trips by Oskar Palmquist saw the Scarlet Knights trim the gap to five, 32-27, before a Buie layup as time expired staked Northwestern to a 34-27 lead at the intermission.
Buie remained hot coming out of the locker room, adding two more treys to provide the bookends to an 8-0 spurt that pushed the gap to 42-31 at the 17:14 mark.
Rutgers answered with 12 of the night's next 14 points, pulling even at 44-44 following a conventional three-point play from Clifford Omoruyi with 11:37 remaining. Northwestern provided a response of its own coming out of the media timeout, rattling off seven unanswered, four of which came from Barnhizer, to charge back in front, 51-44.
In a second half of runs, Rutgers used a 12-0 surge to storm ahead. Derek Simpson drained a pull up jumper with 5:18 remaining to give the Scarlet Knights their first lead since the opening minutes, 52-51, with 5:18 remaining in regulation. Another Simpson bucket stretched the margin to five, 56-51.
Northwestern refused to go away quietly. With the Rutgers lead sitting at 58-53, Barnhizer rattled off five straight points, the last three of which came on a triple with 1:20 remaining that tied the game at 58-58. Aundre Hyatt countered with a three of his own on the hosts' next trip down the floor, putting the Scarlet Knights back in front, 61-58. Two Buie free throws shortly after saw the 'Cats close back within one, 61-60, but Northwestern would get no closer down the stretch as Rutgers secured a fourth straight victory.
Game Notes
» Buie's 27-point effort is tied for his third highest offensive output in 2023-24.
» Buie has now scored in double figures in seven straight contests and 22 times overall this season.
» Buie connected on six three-point attempts, finishing one make shy of his career best from distance.
» Barnhizer's 14 rebounds are the most in a game this season by a Wildcat.
» Barnhizer, who posted his fifth double-double of the year, has now scored in double figures in 12 straight outings.
» Paced by Barnhizer's efforts, Northwestern finished with a 38-35 edge in the rebounding battle.
» Mullins set a new career high with four blocks, a total that also marks the most in a single game this season for a Wildcat.
» Williams finished with 15 points to lead Rutgers.
Up Next
Northwestern heads back out on the road this weekend, visiting Indiana for a 2 p.m. (CT) tip-off on Sunday, February 18 in a matchup that will be televised by FS1.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
