WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As the final seconds ticked away in Northwestern’s 82-68 loss to Purdue on Saturday, two things became readily apparent. One, those damn Boilermakers are good free-throw shooters. Two, these Wildcats are Jitim Young’s team.
I don’t mean any disrespect to the Wildcats’ three seniors. Forwards Winston Blake and Jason Burke form a good supporting cast, and center Aaron Jennings has played valiantly through shin splints, logging 37 minutes and scoring 14 points against Purdue on Saturday.
But it was Young’s play and presence in the final minutes that should comfort NU fans shaking off the effects of an 0-2 Big Ten hangover.
After sitting on the bench during the final minutes of NU’s comeback attempt against Iowa on Wednesday, the junior guard made a pretty good case that he belonged on the court in clutch situations, scoring 13 of NU’s final 22 points before Purdue’s foul shooting put the game out of reach.
It wasn’t just the points he scored, it was how he scored them. Young was ferocious, pounding his dribble into the Mackey Arena floor as he sliced through Purdue’s tough defense for acrobatic layups and pull-up jumpers. His game had a sense of urgency about it. He sprinted the ball up court and scrambled around like an egg on a frying pan as he looked for an open three. He didn’t make the shots that would have won the game, but he knew when to take them.
His attitude was mirrored in every black-and-purple jersey on the court, as all the Cats hustled to get off fast shots and quick fouls in an ill-fated attempt to keep the game alive.
“As leader of this team, I made sure that if you’re gonna be my teammate, you’re gonna play hard until the end,” Young said after the game.
The Cats wouldn’t have been within praying distance if it hadn’t been for a few key baskets from Young. He threw down a tomahawk dunk off a stolen pass with 10 minutes left to bring the Cats within five points of Purdue.
Then, with less than two minutes left, Young gave the Cats their last gasp of hope, grabbing two consecutive offensive rebounds, putting in a twisting layup and then sinking a jumper to bring his team within seven.
His late-game surge came just four days after he sat on the bench during NU’s late run against Iowa while head coach Bill Carmody stuck with a line-up that appeared to be clicking. But the run came up short when his teammates couldn’t convert on two 3-point attempts in the final minute.
Young finished the game Saturday with 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting, six rebounds and four assists. But, in the end, he was overshadowed by his counterpart, Purdue’s Willie Deane. The senior shooting guard, who has been the focal point of the Boilermakers’ offense for the past two seasons, scored 23 points and sunk several daggers that deflated NU’s comeback attempts.
Although Deane won the battle on Saturday, Young’s play proved he deserves the chance to finish games on the floor.
“I see a lot more that I can do on the court,” he said, “and I’m just hoping other people see the same thing.”
Dan Murtaugh is a Medill senior. He can be reached at d-murtaugh@ northwestern. edu.
