Explosive. Impressive. Highlight-reel material.
That’s probably the best way to describe Northwestern guard Mohamed Hachad’s play in the men’s basketball team’s 65-52 victory over Penn State (9-12, 3-7 Big Ten) on Saturday.
Early in the game, with his brother Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs in attendance at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Wildcats point guard T.J. Parker seemed to be doing everything he could to have a career day. But Hachad stole the show.
The guard scored 16 points, grabbed five rebounds and had five steals in 37 minutes of play.
Scoring only four points in the first half, Hachad turned up the heat in the second period. He scored 12 after the break to finish second on the team in scoring behind guard Jitim Young and forward Vedran Vukusic.
“Mo has definitely come alive in the Big Ten season,” Young said.
But what was most impressive about the sophomore’s afternoon didn’t show up on offense.
Hachad came up with four of his team-leading five steals in the second half, which was crucial in the Cats’ (11-11, 6-5) game-breaking 30-2 run.
“Him and Jitim seemed to be a real pain in the neck out there,” NU coach Bill Carmody said. “Mohamed has these long arms and he comes up with loose balls by stretching in there and getting them.”
Hachad also provided two highlight-reel plays.
The first came on an NU fastbreak with 11:42 left in the game. After Penn State missed a shot, Hachad pushed the ball up the floor and made a crafty behind-the-back pass to Davor Duvancic. The forward then quickly dished the ball to Vedran Vukusic for a wide-open three-pointer. The trey pushed the Cats’ lead to 25 and locked up the game.
“Coach doesn’t let me do that too much because I have to cut down on my turnovers,” Hachad said. “From time to time when I see that I have a chance, I go for it.”
Another Hachad play that pumped up the crowd came with 1:34 left in the game. Vukusic was standing with the ball at the top of the key, before suddenly hurling it one-handed about three feet to the left of the rim. Out of nowhere Hachad came flying in, grabbed the ball and dunked it for the alley-oop.
“When Davor and Mohamed are active and score a few points for us, usually that’s a pretty good sign,” Carmody said.
Hachad’s team-leading four defensive rebounds were a key in the game because each time he grabbed one, he turned and immediately pushed the ball up the floor. This mentality echoed throughout the team as the Cats tallied 21 fastbreak points.
With 15.9 seconds left in the game, Hachad’s efforts were rewarded when he left the game to a loud ovation.
“It’s all about playing hard,” Hachad said. “Sometimes if you just play hard, it pays off. You’re not even supposed to be there, but by playing hard, you end up getting your hands on the ball.”
