Men’s Basketball

Northwestern rode the momentum of a 31-0 first-half run to rout Rutgers 83-61 on Thursday and advance to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

All five starters scored at least 9 points for the No. 6 seed Wildcats (22-10, 10-8 Big Ten) — led by 16 each from sophomore forward Vic Law and junior guard Scottie Lindsey — as the team topped 70 points for the first time since Jan. 26.

NU trailed 9-6 after the first three minutes of action when it began one of the most dominant stretches of basketball imaginable. Eleven minutes later, it held a 37-9 lead.

The Cats made 5-of-7 attempts from deep during the run, including two from Law and one from senior forward Nathan Taphorn on three consecutive possessions in one sequence. No. 14 seed Rutgers (15-18, 3-15), meanwhile, missed 15 consecutive field goal attempts and committed seven turnovers in a sluggish performance perhaps affected by fatigue from playing in the first round yesterday.

NU’s shooting performance temporarily regressed back to normal after the absurd streak, but the Cats still cruised to a 42-24 halftime edge. That lead only increased in the second half, with NU making 10 consecutive field goals at one point to finish the game shooting 60 percent from the field.

Sophomore center Dererk Pardon appeared to roll his ankle midway through the second half and briefly went back to the locker room, but later returned to the game. Pardon finished with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in addition to eight rebounds.

Takeaways

1. Vic Law repeats his Michigan performance

After a February laden with offensive inefficiency, Law finally broke out with a 7-for-10 night last week against Michigan but then had another off night Sunday against Purdue. Against Rutgers, his outing mirrored the Michigan game — he went 5-for-6 from the field and added five rebounds and four assists — which is a promising sign for a Cats offense that desperately needs more scoring from him moving forward.

2. Northwestern neutralizes Rutgers’ rebounding

Against a Scarlet Knights squad that entered the game ranked seventh in the nation in rebounds per game, NU managed to impressively keep pace on the boards. The Cats out-rebounded Rutgers 33-19, including 24-11 in defensive rebounds, as Pardon and Law overcame the rebounding prowess of Rutgers big man C.J. Gettys.

3. Fatigue could be a concern against Maryland

Thursday’s game showed what can happen when one team plays the night before and the other team enters well rested. Friday, that will remain the case but to NU’s disadvantage, as they will have to match up against the third-seeded host team, Maryland, which will be making its tournament debut. The Cats will have to dig deep to keep up with Terrapins star Melo Trimble, who scored 32 in the two foes’ first meeting this year.

Stats

-McIntosh scored 11 points in the second half to finish with 13, his sixth-straight game in double digits
-Lindsey: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
-NU: 14-of-20 from the field in the second half

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @benpope111