Men’s Basketball

Northwestern has racked up the wins this season, but it has rarely put together a complete game.

On Sunday, the Wildcats (15-4, 4-2 Big Ten) did just that. Behind 42 combined points from junior guards Bryant McIntosh and Scottie Lindsey and an extremely efficient offensive performance, they gunned past Iowa (11-8, 3-3), 89-54.

Almost everything worked for NU. The team sprinted out to an 8-0 edge in the early minutes of the game, and a 14-1 run capped by a transition dunk from junior forward Gavin Skelly brought the crowd in Welsh-Ryan Arena to its feet and gave the Cats a 39-23 lead with 4:01 left in the first period.

The Hawkeyes clawed back a bit to cut NU’s lead to 44-32 by halftime, but the Cats quickly jumped out to an 8-2 run after the break that forced an Iowa timeout and pushed NU to a 52-34 advantage. McIntosh led the charge in that run with two baskets and two assists, getting wherever he wanted on the floor for most of the game. With 20 points and 10 assists, he put up his first double-double since Jan. 16, 2016.

As Iowa made runs at the Cats’ lead, NU always had an answer, carving up the Hawkeyes’ defense with relative ease. A 23-3 run gave the Cats a 84-51 lead with 4:10 remaining, and from there they cruised to their largest victory of their Big Ten season so far.

Takeaways

1. Northwestern’s backcourt lights it up

Lindsey and McIntosh were the Cats’ two leading scorers on the night, combining to shoot 17-for-26 from the field, and Iowa had no answers for them. McIntosh found lanes to get to the rim frequently and rarely made a wrong decision in one of his best performances of the season, while Lindsey continued his ascent as one of the top perimeter players in the conference. NU can beat pretty much any team in the Big Ten when its two guards are clicking, and the team showed as much Sunday.

2. No second-half lull for the Wildcats

In both of NU’s Big Ten losses this season, it went ice cold in the second half and struggled to find any way to get its offense going. But after shooting 54.3 percent from the field, the Cats managed to top themselves in the second half against Iowa, blowing out the Hawkeyes behind a sizzling second half. NU shot 66.7 percent from the field and 6-for-12 from 3 after the half. Without an offensive drop-off, the Cats gave no opening for a Hawkeye comeback and put up their highest point total since the season’s second game.

3. Northwestern dominates inside

The Cats outclassed Iowa in numerous ways at both ends Sunday, but their edge inside was perhaps the most striking. NU won the rebounding battle 39-24 and outscored Iowa in the paint 42-18. Sophomore big Dererk Pardon put up another terrific game with 14 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocks. For a perimeter-oriented team whose guards can explode at any moment, the Cats showed that they can pack a punch inside when they need to.

Stats
-Bryant McIntosh: 20 points, 10 assists
-Scottie Lindsey: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists
-Iowa guard Peter Jok: 4 points, 2-for-9 shooting

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