COLUMBUS, Ohio – Back on Jan. 12, an anemic offense and poor shooting prevented the Northwestern men’s basketball team from providing a serious challenge to Ohio State in a 55-48 loss. But Saturday, it was the Wildcats’ shooting that gave them a chance to upset the No. 25 Buckeyes – although NU couldn’t quite pull out the win.
In the rematch, the Cats (12-8, 3-5 Big Ten) had its best all-around shooting game since conference play began, and its Princeton offense confused the Big Ten’s top team early.
“They didn’t really defend us well in the first half,” junior Winston Blake said. “We came out in the first half and got pretty much any shot we wanted.”
Before the break, the Cats nailed 52 percent from the field, hit 4-for-7 from behind the arc and made all seven of their free throws en route to a 35-30 halftime advantage.
NU jumped out to a quick lead with strong dribble penetration. Guards Jitim Young and Collier Drayton drove to the hoop for easy layups in the opening minutes.
“Coach always talks about being aggressive and attacking the basket,” Blake said. “We should have done that a lot more, because we shot free throws well today.”
Blake made five free throws and helped NU reach the free-throw line seven times in the first half. But Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien and his Buckeyes made defensive adjustments, giving NU more space on the perimeter. As a result, the Cats stopped going to the hoop and started hitting open jumpers.
NU had only three free-throw attempts in the second half.
Big men Tavaras Hardy and Aaron Jennings stretched the home team’s defense in the opening 20 minutes. Jennings scored five points and made one three-pointer. Hardy drained two from long range and recorded eight points on only four shots.
“We’re taught to shoot whenever we’re open, and and they were leaving us open,” Hardy said. “Their coach was yelling at them to guard us, but they’re bigger guys, and it is harder for them to guard us outside.”
The Cats’ frontcourt duo caused problems for Ohio State (17-3, 8-1), but Blake was the key to NU’s offense. The forward scored 14 points in the first half and ended the game with a career-high 25 points.
Blake made 8 of 11 from the field and was 4-for-5 from three-point range. Blake also hit all three of his second-half attempts from behind the arc.
“Winston had some huge three-pointers for us,” Hardy said. “His three at the end of the first half was really big.”
After heading into halftime on a high, the NU offense stalled in the final 20 minutes. The tempo of the game slowed, and both teams scored less.
Even in a sloppy second half, the Cats continued to make shots in front of the 19,200 at Value Center Arena. With 9:25 left in the game, freshman Vedran Vukusic’s off-balance, low-arching jumper with the shot clock expiring made it look as if the Cats could sink anything.
“They came out in the second half and made some adjustments,” Blake said. “Some of the plays we were getting in the first half were eliminated, and we had to find ways to score.”
In the end, NU came up one basket short. But the Cats couldn’t blame their shooting.
