After nearly eight months off the court, Northwestern returned to Welsh-Ryan Arena to play against Quincy in a lone exhibition game. Led by redshirt senior Chase Audige’s 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists, the Wildcats pulled away in the second half, beating the Hawks 69-49. 

Graduate forward Tydus Verhoeven also had a strong showing with four blocks. The Manteca, California, native nailed a bucket to open scoring for the Wildcats at the 18 minute mark. Audige then followed with six straight points, including a contested three. By the first media timeout, the Wildcats held a 10-5 lead. 

After a 2021-22 season defined by injury, Audige said he was thrilled to be back on the court. 

“(In the offseason), I was really just doing rehab every single day,” Audige said. “Really working on strength and just getting my hip and full body back to where it was…Last year I couldn’t even play in this game, so it was great getting out there (tonight).”  

Following the first media timeout, NU stormed to an 18-2 run, highlighted by a monstrous dunk from junior center Matthew Nicholson. 

While it looked like the Cats were going to cruise to victory, Quincy came back with a run of its own. The Hawks went 7-2 in the final minutes of the first half to slash a 16-point NU lead to six. 

Coach Chris Collins said he understood the importance of playing quality opposition like the Hawks before the season kicks off next week. 

“We knew they’d be dialed into their stuff with execution; they were going to run their stuff, spread the floor, and put pressure on you,” Collins said. “We knew they’d have a good defensive gameplan, so that makes for a really good scrimmage.”

The Cats ended the first half strong, as senior guard Boo Buie buried a three to give NU a 36-29 halftime lead. By the end, Audige and Verhoeven combined for half of the Cats’ 36 points. 

Collins said his big men adapted well to their opponent. He said games like this against Quincy, who have a smaller lineup, tend to lead to playing more mobile, big guys, but Verhoeven and Beran were eventually able to make a difference. 

Down the stretch, NU started to build on its lead, primarily thanks to its defense. The Cats forced three consecutive turnovers in the beginning stages of the second half, and Quincy had to settle for several contested jump shots late in the shot clock. 

Collins was excited about his team’s strong defensive performance in the second half, as well as its resiliency coming out of the intermission. 

Buie tallied a three pointer with six minutes left in the game, allowing NU to extend its lead to 20 — one of its highest of the game. The Cats maintained the advantage throughout the final minutes of the game, ultimately prevailing by a score of 69-49. 

Looking ahead, Collins said he believes a successful season will rely on Audige and Buie’s performances. 

“I think with both (Audige) and (Buie) as two seniors, we need those guys to really lead us and be one of the better backcourt tandems as we move forward,” Collins said.

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