Down 61-60 to Penn State with 37 seconds left to play, the Wildcats held the ball for one final look at the basket. Guard Jitim Young rubbed off a Tavaras Hardy screen, beat the Nittany Lions’ Tyler Smith to the hoop and hit a left-handed layup – giving the Cats a 62-61 win in a choppy, back-and-forth contest before 3,726 fans.
The victory was the NU men’s basketball team’s second consecutive conference home win, and its second conference win since Feb. 6, 1999, also a home win against Penn State. The Cats’ first Big Ten win of the season came against an Iowa team without its star player – but the Lions entered Evanston with no significant injuries and left with no one to blame but themselves.
After the game, a crushed Joe Crispin – who shot 4-for-13 and missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer – paced outside the visiting locker room. The Big Ten’s leading scorer eventually crumpled into a lonely purple chair to brood over the defeat while NU (10-17, 2-12 Big Ten) celebrated.
“Everyone says it, and it’s true: You have to defend your home court,” NU coach Bill Carmody said. “Next year we’re going to win games at home. That I know. And to be a good team, you have to maybe split your games on the road. Then you’re getting in the tournament. But you have to be able to defend your home court.”
Penn State (16-8, 6-7) nearly lost to NU earlier this season, squeaking out a seven-point win at home Jan. 13.
But the Cats – who blew a 14-point lead in January – managed to battle back after losing a 10-point advantage Wednesday. Tavaras Hardy led all scorers with a season-high 23 points, and he dominated in the paint for most of the game. The Cats had three other scorers in double figures, but it was Hardy who dictated the flow of the contest.
Unlike most other games, NU was able to pound the ball inside to its 6-foot-8 center. The Lions didn’t have the tall centers and power forwards NU has had to contend with all year.
“Our interior defense was very, very soft,” said Penn State coach Jerry Dunn, unable to hide his disappointment, “and the Northwestern players played like men down there. Tavaras Hardy did anything he wanted to in the post.
“We tried to take their threes away. I think they were still able to grind it out, and they got some good looks inside, which I thought really made the big difference.”
NU wasn’t always able to get the ball to the hoop. As a result, the Cats scored in spurts throughout the game.
They went on one 12-0 surge and two 8-0 runs, but also went 6:43 in the first half and 4:41 in the second half without a point.
The Cats attempted just 11 three-pointers in the game, a surprising dropoff from the 30 they took Sunday against Wisconsin.
In both games, however, NU finished with four treys. The selective shooting Wednesday boosted the Cats’ overall percentage from the floor – better than 46 percent for the game.
“How many times have I said this year that our track record isn’t good from outside?” Carmody said. “So we just said, ‘Let’s keep trying. Let’s keep trying to get the ball inside and see what we can do.'”
And dumping the ball to Hardy – in the high post where he could drive to the basket or in the low post where he could find short jumpers – worked throughout the game. Penn State’s Smith and forward Gyasi Cline-Heard guarded the junior center, neither with much success.
Midway through the second half, Hardy recorded one of the Cats’ 8-0 runs all by himself, sinking three layups and two free throws to extend NU’s lead to 10, putting the team in position to battle until the last possession of the game.
Although the Cats probably can’t bank on getting too many points in the paint Saturday against Ohio State, they were more than happy to take advantage of Penn State’s shortcomings on the interior.
“Some teams make it harder to get inside, and against some teams it’s just not a good idea,” Hardy said. “Like for Ohio State – it’s not a good idea to keep pounding it in against Ken Johnson, since I’m 6-foot-8 and he’s 7-foot-5, or whatever he is.”
