Northwestern didn’t just trounce Iowa 90-71 on the road Wednesday night – it did so with swagger.
And after being crushed by Illinois’ record 71 percent field goal percentage last week – a performance that Fighting Illini guard Demetri McCamey called an offensive clinic – the rout was just the sort of confidence the Wildcats needed.
“A week ago we went down to Champaign and they were knocking down every shot and went way ahead because our defense was so bad,” coach Bill Carmody said. “Tonight was one of those nights where it was our turn to make shots.”
And NU didn’t just make shots. They made them quickly.
Barely four minutes into the first half an uncontested three-pointer by senior point guard Michael Thompson, who later moved into NU’s all-time top-10 scoring list with his 17-point performance, opened the offensive floodgates for the Cats. With NU (11-4, 2-3 Big Ten) working the ball into the lane and drawing in Iowa’s (7-9, 0-4 Big Ten) defense, the Cats were able to create open looks on the perimeter – something they capitalized on all night. NU proved why it entered the match ranked 12th in the nation in three-pointers as it notched its first 21 points of the night on seven triples and jumped out to an early 21-8 advantage.
“We were just trying to move the ball really quickly and drive into that zone,” sophomore guard Drew Crawford said. “It’s something we’ve been practicing. It’s how you get good shots, good passes.”
Crawford found himself on the receiving end of just that sort of ball movement, and he wasted few of his opportunities from behind the arc. All said, Crawford went 5-for-9 from the perimeter and finished the night with a team-high 19 points.
After posting a combined 10 points against Indiana and Illinois, it was the sort of performance Crawford needs to break out of what has at times looked like a sophomore slump. It also relieved some scoring pressure for junior forward John Shurna, who is playing on a left ankle sprain.
“It’s always a good feeling when your shots start falling,” Crawford said. “I was just getting the right looks, and that’s as much a credit to my teammates as it is to me. They were finding me in the right spots, and whenever you get an open look, you better knock it back.”
NU’s only scare came in the second half when Iowa’s Bryce Cartwright also began to hit a scoring rhythm. The dynamic guard led all scorers with 25 points on the night, and brought the Hawkeyes to within 15 points before NU switched to its patented 1-3-1 defense and went on a six-point run to cushion its lead.
“(Cartwright) is like a one-man beast beating us down the court,” Carmody said. “We managed to hang in there, and it was good for us to get the ball moving because we haven’t had too many opportunities.”
The win marked NU’s first conference road victory of the season and its largest margin of victory at Iowa City in program history.
The Cats are also putting up some impressive offensive numbers, posting just their fifth 90 points or more performance since the 1988-89 season – and three of them have been this season.
For NU, it’s the right time to start pouring in the points as it heads to Michigan State on Saturday with a chance to avenge its narrow conference opener loss to the Spartans at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 3.
“It’s a good feeling to get a win on the road,” Crawford said. “It’s going to be hard to play Michigan State at home, but I think we’ve got the right momentum now.”
