Northwestern was battled to its second defeat of the season Sunday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
After falling to Stanford in a tough road game Thursday, the Wildcats (1-2) returned home and lost, 68-64, to the Illinois State Redbirds (1-2).
As has been typical of the team this season, NU got off to a sloppy start, and throughout the first half the Cats looked equally uninspired on offense and defense. Starting center Alex Olah picked up two personal fouls early and had to be subbed out, and the sophomore’s absence was immediately felt. Illinois State met little resistance when driving into the lane and also converted a dramatic alley-oop midway through the period.
“A disappointing game for us,” coach Chris Collins said. “Give Illinois State credit for that. They were quicker to loose balls, and their big guys were having their way inside.”
— Bobby Pillote
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