Northwestern forward Tim Doyle said it was the “classic Tim Doyle unathletic move,” but his running bank shot with 1:20 remaining almost ended in a not-so-classic way.
With the game tied at 53, Doyle found an opening in the paint with the shot clock at one second. The ball looked to be rolling off the rim, when Minnesota forward J’son Stamper made contact with the ball.
The officials whistled Stamper with a goaltending violation, and Doyle was awarded the basket to give Northwestern a two-point lead.
“I did not think it was a goaltend,” Minnesota coach Dan Monson said. “But I had a different angle, and (the referees) made the call. That’s the way it is on the road.”
After the Golden Gophers misfired on their next possession, Doyle made two free throws to seal the game for the Wildcats, as NU (14-14, 6-10 Big Ten) held on for a 57-53 victory over Minnesota (14-13, 5-11) Saturday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The game-winning shot and the game-sealing free throws were especially rewarding for Doyle, after NU coach Bill Carmody had benched him in the middle of the second half.
“Coach challenged me on the bench and said I was not focused,” said Doyle, who finished with 12 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes. “That bothered me. So I wanted to show him and prove to myself that I was worthy to be out there.”
The Golden Gophers had two tries to tie or take the lead in the final minute of the game.
On Minnesota’s possession after the goaltending call, forward Vincent Grier missed a jumper to tie the game.
After NU forward Vedran Vukusic missed a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left, the Golden Gophers had one last attempt, but forward Dan Coleman’s 3-point attempt rattled out and Doyle corralled the rebound.
“It was good to get a win after our loss Wednesday night to Ohio State,” Carmody said. “I didn’t know how we’d respond as a team, both players and coaches. I thought we came out pretty nicely.”
On Senior Night, two seniors, Vukusic (20 points) and guard Mohamed Hachad (11), scored in double figures in what could be their last home game in their NU career.
Vukusic surpassed Kevin Rankin on Saturday to take fourth place on NU’s all-time scoring list. Heading into the postseason, Vukusic leads the Big Ten in scoring with 19.4 points per game.
With the win over the Golden Gophers, the Cats clinched the ninth seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which starts Thursday in Indianapolis. NU will face eighth-seeded Penn State, which beat the Cats twice during the regular season.
With a .500 record, NU will likely need to win at least its first round game to earn a bid to the National Invitation Tournament.
Carmody said the Cats will have to find a way to break the Nittany Lions 2-3 zone and neutralize Penn State’s athletic low-post players.
NU’s first round game against Penn State is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday and will be televised on ESPN2. The winner of the game will face top-seeded Ohio State on Friday.
Reach Scott Duncan at [email protected].
