What went right:

Alex Olah led the way for Northwestern in the first half. The sophomore center had a team-high 8 points to go along with three rebounds in the opening 20 minutes and finished the game with a career-high 18 points and 6 rebounds. Improved play from the Wildcats’ starting big man is a good sign for a team with such a shallow front court.

NU showed flashes of the 2-3 zone it unveiled in its last game against IUPUI, and the defense was effective at slowing down Gardner-Webb. Given the Cats lack of depth, especially inside, a 2-3 zone may be their best option on defense and something we see more of this season.

What went wrong:

Foul trouble hamstrung NU early. Redshirt freshman forward Sanjay Lumpkin picked up two fouls in the first half and redshirt senior forward Drew Crawford picked up three, and as a result two of the Cats’ best players combined for only 16 minutes on the floor. Lumpkin’s play was especially poor, as he failed to record any points, assists or rebounds before halftime.

Poor shooting from beyond the arc was a major contributor to NU’s slow scoring. The Cats were a dismal 3-for-16 from 3-point range, and on one notable possession in the first half three different players combined to miss three in a row.

What it means:

NU added another win, but it wasn’t pretty. The Cats need to be able to slow down more athletic teams on defense and keep their stars out of foul trouble, and the 2-3 zone has the potential to do that. However, coach Chris Collins employed the set only sparingly throughout the game. Offensively, the only way NU is going to have a big night is if one of its shooters gets hot, like junior guard Dave Sobolewski did against UIC. Redshirt junior guard JerShon Cobb, who finished the night with 14 points, remains the only player on the roster who can consistently create on offense.

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