Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
20-9,11-7Big Ten
Iowa
18-12,10-9Big Ten
Second Half Surge Lifts Iowa Over Northwestern, 87-80
3/2/2024 6:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Despite a 27-point effort from Boo Buie and a 20-point performance from Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern could not keep up with a hot second half shooting performance from Iowa in an 87-80 setback on Saturday inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. During halftime, Billy McKinney (1973-77) became the first Wildcat in school history to have their jersey retired.
Billy McKinney's No. 30 jersey is officially retired ?? pic.twitter.com/cPXSHK0bHh
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) March 2, 2024
Northwestern (20-9, 11-7 B1G) shot 54% from the field in the defeat and went 50% (10-for-20) from 3-point range.
Nick Martinelli (17) and Blake Smith, who posted a career-high 11 points, joined Buie and Barnhizer in double-figures.
How It Happened
After falling behind 20-12, Northwestern went on an 8-0 run with 12:09 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Buie, to tie the game at 20. The Wildcats then proceeded to grab a 37-36 lead heading into halftime. Buie was perfect from the floor in the first half, making all four of his shots, and three from long range.
Iowa proceeded to take a 61-50 lead before Northwestern went on a 7-0 run, finished off by Buie's three, to shrink the deficit to 61-57 with 8:50 to go in the contest. After the Hawkeyes went on a run, NU closed the gap to just two at 67-65 with 5:43 remaining. Iowa responded and outscored the Wildcats the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 87-80.
Game Notes
» Blake Smith posted career-highs of 11 points, two assists and 29 minutes played.
» Boo Buie, Brooks Barnhizer, and Nick Martinelli combined to account for 80 percent of the Wildcats points.
» Brooks Barnhizer posted his fourth game of the season of 20 or more points.
» Northwestern got a team-high six rebounds from Brooks Barnhizer.
Northwestern travels to Michigan State for its final road trip of the regular season at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 6. The game will air on BTN and WGN Radio 720.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
