By Andrew SimonThe Daily Northwestern
Under assault from behind the 3-point arc throughout its season opener against Cornell, Northwestern needed a 3 of its own to send the contest into overtime.
But sophomore guard Craig Moore’s last-second 3-point attempt clanged off the rim, and the Wildcats fell to the Big Red, 64-61, Friday night in Evanston.
It was the second time in just more than two minutes the Cats were hurt on a 3-point shot – Cornell forward Brian Kreefer’s off-balance 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring gave the Big Red a five-point advantage with 2:19 to play.
“They made some big, big 3s,” senior Tim Doyle said. “Guys made leaner 3s, guys made NBA threes and we missed a couple (easy shots).”
Sophomore guard Adam Gore gave NU the most trouble, knocking down five of Cornell’s ten 3s. He poured in 20 points to lead all players, overcoming his lack of height with hustle and a deadly shooting touch.
“He’s an amazing kid if you look at his size and what he brings,” Cornell coach Steve Donahue said. “He’s listed at 6-0 but he’s closer to 5-9. But he’s just got the heart that you can’t teach … He shoots the ball, makes plays and doesn’t let anything bother him.”
NU’s offense sputtered at times, going more than four minutes without a point twice in the second half. After halftime, the Cats shot just 33.3 percent from the field.
Playing in the Ivy League, Cornell was familiar with NU’s Princeton offense coming into the game. In the past two seasons, the Big Red is 3-1 against Princeton, which runs the same system.
“Our veteran guys know (the Princeton offense),” Donahue said. “I think that helps us greatly. And they’re such a young team that a couple of our guys probably know it better than their guys at this point.”
Before shoddy defense caused them to lose their advantage, the Cats got off to a solid start. NU reeled off 14 consecutive points to take a 14-4 lead and still led by eight with less than four minutes left in the half.
Newcomers Jason Okrzesik and Kevin Coble were a big reason for the early success.
Okrzesik knocked down three of his five 3-point attempts and scored 11 points in his first game for NU since transferring from Rice. Coble, a freshman, scored 10 points by hitting a 3-pointer and converting a few aggressive drives to the basket into layups.
“I try not to do the same thing every time and keep the defense honest,” Coble said. “However they play you, you just try to play to their weaknesses and your strengths.”
But Cornell consistently found open looks at the basket from outside and took advantage by shooting 48.8 percent.
“They got too many points,” Carmody said. “They just annihilated us. They had open shots, and I don’t know if they made all of them, but it seemed like they made big shots.”
In addition to NU’s defensive problems, the veterans’ inability to shoulder the offensive load contributed to the defeat.
Senior center Vince Scott failed to score in the first half. Doyle came up scoreless in the second half after notching 11 points in the first.
“I missed shots I normally don’t miss,” Doyle said. “I felt comfortable in the role, and I didn’t feel I was forcing anything, trying to be this superstar or trying to be Vedran. I was just trying to be myself.”
Cornell went on a 19-7 run early in the second half to grab an eight-point lead. NU followed with nine straight points to retake the lead, but couldn’t hold it and fell behind by five.
Moore scored all six of his points in the final 1:19 to pull NU within a point with ten seconds to go.
After Cornell extended its lead to three with seven seconds left, NU got one more chance. But Moore was unable to convert.
“That was the shot we were looking for,” Carmody said. “(Moore) got a pretty good look.”
Reach Andrew Simon at [email protected].
