To Evanston, Northwestern held off the Fighting Hawks for a 56-33 victory — both teams’ lowest point totals of the season.
Exactly two years later, the Wildcats prevailed in another ugly contest, winning the season opener 56-36.
Aaron Jennings led NU with 16 points on 8 of 11 shooting, scoring the majority of his points on easy inside baskets. Jitim Young added 10 points for the Cats. Tee Trotter’s 16 points paced Maryland-Eastern Shore.
NU’s offense seemed crisper in the first half than it had in either of its two exhibitions — both narrow victories — and allowed the Cats to jump out to an early 22-6 lead.
Easy layups on quick cuts to the basket against the Hawks’ zone defense allowed the Cats to score the game’s first 11 points. Maryland-Eastern Shore didn’t get on the board until Didier Socka’s jumper 5:54 into the game.
“It seemed like we had a little energy out there,” NU coach Bill Carmody said. “We pushed the ball and got some good shots. We just got some layups and we were moving a little bit better.”
The Hawks found open shots in the first half but couldn’t convert, shooting just 6 of 26 in the half and 15 of 54 for the game. Their 14 points at the half were the fewest allowed by an NU team under Carmody.
The Cats’ frontcourt, without injured forward Vedran Vukusic, accounted for most of the scoring. Jennings and Davor Duvancic each scored six points in the half, and NU had assists on 12 of its 15 baskets before the break.
But the return of the 6-foot-11 Jennings, who has been suffering from shin splints since the beginning of practice, was especially key against the Hawks, whose tallest player was 6-foot-7. Jennings also led NU with seven rebounds.
“It’s only going to get better,” Jennings said of the injury. “It won’t get any worse. I just have to keep playing through the pain until it gets better.”
Jennings played sparingly in the Cats’ two exhibitions, but Carmody said he practiced more Thursday and felt better on the day of the game.
“He just needs to get some game experience,” Carmody said. “He needs to see all these different playing situations because he should be rusty.”
Carmody said he planned to play Jennings less than half the game but kept the center in for 25 minutes because the Hawks kept the game relatively close in the second half.
NU turned the ball over five times in the first four minutes after the break, and Maryland-Eastern Shore cut the lead to 38-24 on Trotter’s three-pointer with 11:35 remaining. But the Cats went on a 12-3 run, led by three Jennings baskets.
“What gives them the possibility of being a good team is they do all the little things I’m trying to get my guys to do, like grab loose balls,” said Maryland-Eastern Shore head coach Thomas Trotter.
Freshman Jimmy Maley was a large part of the Cats’ ability to do the “little things.” The lanky forward, who Carmody described as a “tough nut,” had five points, five rebounds and four assists without a turnover in 24 minutes.
“He’s not the fastest guy in the world, but he knows situations so he’s usually in the right position,” Carmody said. “He’s a player, he knows what to do and he usually makes the right plays.”
Three other NU freshmen saw their first official game action, with point guard T.J. Parker and guard Evan Seacat knocking down three-pointers in the first half. Parker finished with five points and three assists but had five turnovers, all in the second half.
Carmody was concerned about NU’s 17 turnovers but said he was generally pleased with the performance.
“The first half went about as well as it could for an opening night,” Carmody said. “When you win a game like this it’s just a lesson. You can’t beat good teams with 17 turnovers.”
The Cats will host New Hampshire tonight in their second contest of the season.
