The Wildcats lost again Wednesday, falling for the third-straight time in non-conference play.
Northwestern (4-5) fell to North Carolina State (5-2) 69-48 in Raleigh, N.C., as part of the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The Cats shot only 25 percent from the field and struggled to stop the Wolfpack’s offense. NC State forward T.J. Warren finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, and three other Wolfpack players scored in double figures.
The Cats’ offensive performance was their worst of the season. Only two NU players notched more than 5 points, and senior forward Drew Crawford shot only 5-16 for his team-best 17 points.
“It was just one of those nights,” Crawford said. “Credit NC State. They played some pretty good defense. It’s one of those nights — struggle a little bit offensively, and you need to find other ways to win.”
Aside from Crawford, the Cats’ starters combined to shoot 2-25, with junior guard JerShon Cobb, NU’s high scorer on the season, missing all seven of his attempts from the field.
The loss was NU’s third straight, after losing to Missouri and UCLA last weekend in Las Vegas.
Western Michigan visits Evanston on Saturday, the start of NU’s five-game home-stand, including the team’s final four non-conference games.
“We just have to get angry,” Crawford said. “It’s not acceptable to lose, especially three games in a row.”
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the teams Northwestern played in the Las Vegas Invitational. The Wildcats lost to Missouri and UCLA. The Daily regrets the error.
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