So much for a trap game.
Northwestern manhandled Mississippi Valley State 92-67 Friday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, in advance of its highly anticipated home matchup with No. 7 Baylor on Sunday.
“Good teams knock these guys out of the box early,” coach Bill Carmody said. “That’s what we had to do.”
The final score was a poor indication of just how thorough NU’s domination was.
The Cats (7-0) drained 20 three-pointers Friday, tying a school record set on Dec. 13, 2009 against North Carolina A&T.
Junior guard Drew Crawford contributed 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, all coming in the first half. His play coupled with a perfect 5-for-5 shooting performance by senior center Luka Mirkovic helped NU mount a 59-21 halftime advantage.
“(Mirkovic) has made a point of getting down there fast and getting into position early,” Carmody said. “They’re not double-teaming him and he’s taking advantage of that.”
“Luka establishing that beastliness at center got us going,” senior guard Nick Fruendt added.
The Cats’ 59 first-half points marked the most that NU has scored in any half during Carmody’s twelve seasons at the helm. Carmody said he was pleased that 21 of the Cats’ 22 made field goals were assisted.
With an insurmountable halftime lead, Carmody was able to rest Crawford, Mirkovic, starting point guard Dave Sobolewski and senior forward John Shurna for the entire second half. This gave Fruendt an opportunity to impress.
Fruendt posted a career-high 21 points, 16 of which came in the second half, to lead all NU scorers. The Cats led by as many as 43.
“It was fun,” Fruendt said. “They were in a zone so we were moving the ball and finding open shots.”
Reggie Hearn continued his breakout junior season with a 15-point, seven-rebound effort. The guard said it was crucial to take every opponent seriously.
“If we aren’t prepared, they could turn around and bite us in the butt,” Hearn said. “It was just like any other game.”
Alex Marcotullio appeared unhindered by his toe injury, although Carmody admitted that his junior guard’s 20 minutes on the court might have been too many. Marcotullio had eight points and a game-high seven assists.
Carmody continued to empty his bench as the game rolled on, placing walk-on freshman guard Omar Jimenez on the court to make his home debut. Jimenez played more minutes than All-American candidate Shurna in the blowout.
Although Mississippi Valley State appeared overwhelmed Friday, the team entered its contest with NU already boasting plenty of experience against tough opponents, including a road game at then-No. 1 North Carolina. The Delta Devils (1-7) kept close with South Carolina on Nov. 22 before losing 61-57.
But on Friday, the Delta Devils were simply overmatched. They made just 7 of their 29 first-half field-goal attempts and had no answer for the Cats’ perimeter shooting. Junior Paul Crosby was the lone bright spot for Mississippi Valley State, tallying 23 points and 11 rebounds.
NU has just two days to prepare for Baylor. The Bears (6-0) are the highest-ranked non-conference opponent to visit Welsh-Ryan Arena since then-No. 7 Duke defeated the Cats 103-77 on Dec. 2, 1989.
“It’s the biggest non-conference game in my four years here,” Fruendt said.
Baylor is led by preseason Big XII Player of the Year Perry Jones III, who scored 27 points against Prairie View A&M in his return from a six-game suspension. Jones III and highly touted freshman forward Quincy Miller are expected to pose difficult matchups for NU’s interior players.
“We’ve played some pretty good-sized teams this year,” Carmody said. “(Georgia Tech) had a seven-foot kid in there. I think we will be all right.”
