With just a second left in overtime, Alex Marcotullio spotted up in the corner for the game-tying three-pointer. The junior guard was fouled on the shot, but made only one of the three shots as Northwestern lost 66-64 to No. 13 Michigan (14-3, 4-1 Big Ten) on Wednesday.
The free throws were just some of the many missed opportunities for the Wildcats (11-5, 1-3), who held the lead for most of the game.
NU’s largest lead was a 10-point advantage early in the second half, while Michigan’s largest lead was three points. The ultimate missed opportunity for the Cats was at the end of regulation. With 10 seconds remaining on the clock, junior forward Drew Crawford got the ball near the arc. He drove down into the lane past two Michigan defenders and was called for a travel, negating a jump ball which would have given NU one last chance.
“The plan was to just try to get the ball at the top of the key,” Crawford said. “I tried to get to the glass, but I did not get a good shot off.”
NU came out on fire with a smaller lineup with senior forward John Shurna playing center and Marcotullio at guard. The Cats hit four of their first five shots to take a 10-2 lead into the first media timeout. NU shot 50 percent from the field, including 46 percent from behind the arc, nearly 20 percentage points better than Michigan.
The biggest difference in the game was the battle of the glass. The Wolverines had 17 offensive rebounds which led to 13 second chance points. Michigan’s domination on the boards led to the Wolverines getting 18 more shots than the Cats. Crawford said long rebounds from the 23 missed three-pointers by Michigan allowed the Wolverines to sneak in and get rebounds. Coach Bill Carmody said the rebounds tired the Cats out as the game wore on.
“In the second half they got those offensive rebounds,” Carmody said. “It takes a toll on the other end. The legs started getting tired at the end.”
The Cats turned the ball over a season-high 16 times which led to 18 Wolverines points. Most of the turnovers were on passes inside for layups and other mistakes NU does not typically make. The turnovers were a part of an offense which Crawford described as similar to how NU played in the game against Illinois. He said the offense was efficient in the first half, but got sloppier in the second half and overtime.
Shurna and Crawford led NU with 21 and 20 points respectively. Freshman guard Dave Sobolewski was the team’s next highest scorer with nine points. The Wolverines were led by Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., who both had 19 points.
The loss was the Cats’ second straight single-possession loss. Shurna said those types of games prove NU can compete with the elite of the conference. Crawford said it teaches the Cats how to win.
“You have to make plays down the stretch,” Crawford said. “In order to win tight games in the Big Ten you need to make plays down the stretch. We just haven’t done that.”
The adversity is something Carmody was expecting at the beginning of the season. He said he told his players they should expect to be in close games in conference play.
“We just have to get better at the little things,” Carmody said. “Every play matters, every foul shot matters. We tell them at the beginning of the season that they’ll be in a lot of close games and that every little detail matters. We need to do a better job doing the small things.”
