Men’s Basketball

Northwestern salvaged a much-needed win Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

The Wildcats (7-4) won an ugly affair over the Western Michigan Broncos (6-4) by a score of 67-61. The victory was a welcome rebound for NU, coming off a disappointing loss to Central Michigan three days prior.

The opening 35 seconds — a methodical and plodding possession resulting in a missed heave by junior center Alex Olah as the shot clock expired — set the tone for the rest of the game.

NU struggled once again to generate offense and connect on open shots, making just 43 percent of its attempts. Junior guard Tre Demps took a whopping 15 of the Cats’ 54 shots, making only six.

Meanwhile, Olah took three 3-point shots and missed all of them, finishing the night with just 8 points. As a team, NU was a poor 6-for-20 from beyond the arc.

Sophomore forward Nathan Taphorn bailed out the Cats with a strong performance off the bench. After an inspiring 16-point, three-rebound performance in garbage time against Mississippi Valley State, Taphorn produced when it counted, scoring 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting while also pulling down five boards.

Western Michigan’s poor performance at the free-throw line was also a boon to NU, with the Broncos making just 13 of 23 attempts. In spite of the Cats’ poor shooting, Western Michigan was even worse. They were held to 39 percent from the floor, largely due to Broncos guard David Brown who scored 11 points on 3-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-10 from beyond the arc. More than half of Western Michigan’s attempts came from 3-point range.

The Cats will continue their non-conference home stand Monday against cross-town foe UIC.

Email: robertpillote2017@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @BobbyPillote