Sunday, March 24
Brooklyn, N.Y.
6:45 p.m. CT
Northwestern
22-12,12-8Big Ten
58
vs
75
#1 UConn
33-3,18-2Big East
1
2
F
Northwestern
18
40
58
UConn
40
35
75
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
‘Cats Battle Until The End, Fall To UConn In NCAA Second Round, 75-58
3/24/2024 9:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
‘Cats close 2023-24 season at 22-12 overall
BROOKLYN – Ninth-seeded Northwestern turned in a spirited second-half effort, shooting 50 percent over the final 20 minutes, as it saw its season come to an end in a 75-58 setback to top-seeded UConn (33-3, 18-2 BIG EAST) this evening in an NCAA Tournament Second Round game inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Wildcats (22-12, 12-8 B1G) had two players score in double figures, led by Brooks Barnhizer, who finished with 18 points and six rebounds. Ryan Langborg added 13 points and two steals, while Boo Buie chipped nine points, a team-high four assists, and two steals.
How It HappenedThank you fans for an unforgettable 2023-24 season ??
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) March 25, 2024
Grateful for your support all season long. pic.twitter.com/ft1r76pZTx
UConn came out firing on all cylinders, opening the night on a 7-0 run before a Blake Preston second-chance score got the 'Cats on the board, 7-2, with just over three minutes gone. Donovan Clingan finished at the rim shortly after, prompting a Wildcat timeout with the Huskies in front, 11-2.
Following another 7-0 spurt that saw UConn stretch the gap to 18-4, buckets from Nick Martinelli and Luke Hunger, respectively, saw Northwestern cut the margin to 18-8 with 10:16 remaining in the opening frame.
Hunger went to work inside again at the 5:16 mark, muscling up an attempt to trim the Huskies' lead to 26-12. UConn kept its foot on the accelerator to close out the half, racing into the locker room with a 40-18 advantage.
Hunger was at it again coming out of halftime, countering an Alex Karaban score with a bucket of his own to make it 42-20 just 48 seconds in.
Langborg and Barnhizer looked to ignite the Wildcats from outside, each knocking down threes, with the latter's make closing the deficit to 57-30. Barnhizer added an old-fashioned three-point play just before the midway point of the second half, pulling the 'Cats within 59-34.
With UConn staked to a 66-42 lead with eight minutes remaining, Langborg's third trey of the half sparked an 8-0 Wildcat run, capped off by a Buie conventional three-point that saw the Huskies' lead closed to 66-50 with 5:26 to play in the second half. The push proved to get the Wildcats as close as they would get the rest of the evening, as UConn went on to secure its spot in the Sweet Sixteen.
Game Notes
» After finishing just 8-of-31 (.258) from the field in the first half, Northwestern hit on 14-of-28 (.500) attempts in the second half as it outscored UConn by a 40-35 margin.
» The Wildcats operated at a 57 percent clip (4-of-7) from beyond the three-point arc over the final 20 minutes of play.
» Barnhizer poured in a team-best 18 points (6-14 FGs, 1-5 3FGs, 5-5 FTs), all of which came in the second half.
» Barnhizer has reached double figures in scoring in eight straight outings and 21 of his last 22 appearances.
» Coming off a career-best 27-point showing in Friday's win over Florida Atlantic, Langborg finished with 13 points (5-7 FGs, 3-4 3FGs).
» Tonight marked Langborg's 15th game out 2023-24 with at least three-made three-point field goals.
» Buie added nine points (2-15 FGs, 5-5 FTs) and four assists.
» Buie closes his Northwestern career as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2.187 career points.
» Hunger came down with a team-high seven rebounds, in addition to six points (3-7 FGs) and two assists.
» Tristen Newton led all scorers with 20 points (7-13 FGs, 6-7 FTs) to pace UConn.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
Team Stats
NU
UConn
FG%
.373
.537
3FG%
.267
.136
FT%
1.000
.700
RB
30
33
TO
8
7
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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