No. 21 Northwestern (20-9, 11-7 Big Ten) entered February on a roll, making a second-half season turnaround many didn’t believe would happen. And yet, the Wildcats’ fiery run quickly dissipated this past week with a loss to Illinois. NU’s woes continued Sunday in a matchup between two of the top defenses in the Big Ten, as the team fell 75-59 after battling Maryland (20-9, 11-7 Big Ten). 

Both squads lit up the score offensively, combining for 80 points in the first half, making it imperative that the Cats found offensive contributions from players outside of senior guard Boo Buie, whom they had relied on for much of February. 

NU found their offensive production in other avenues, particularly from redshirt senior guard Chase Audige. The Cats’ starting guard broke out of his February slump with an early scoring burst. Audige’s pullup three and midrange jumper gave the squad double digit points within the first five minutes of the contest and a 13-11 advantage. 

After Thursday’s loss to Illinois, coach Chris Collins said the Cats desperately needed complementary scoring, and that they cannot win against Big Ten teams if they rely on one player. In Champaign, NU had one double-digit scorer outside of Buie’s career-high 35 points from sophomore guard Brooks Barnhizer. 

As the squads continued exchanging leads early on, Audige maintained his excellent offensive start, canning a corner three assisted by Buie and recording a driving layup. Midway through the first half, the New York native reached 10 points, on 4-for-6 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from deep. With Buie being more pass-first with his three first half points and seven assists, it was necessary for the redshirt senior to lead the offense.

Audige’s strong game on Sunday was especially notable with his recent struggles. Entering the contest, the senior shot 31.8% from the floor over the past eight games, capped by consecutive seven-point performances against Iowa and Illinois over the past week. In last Sunday’s matchup over Iowa, Audige logged a season-low 20 minutes due to foul trouble and shot 3-for-14 from the floor in Thursday’s loss in Illinois. 

Down the stretch in the first half, Audige continued giving the Cats a boost offensively when the squad couldn’t find stops on the other end. His pullup jumper and isolated turnaround jumper capped a stretch where the squad hit seven of its last eight shot attempts. Audige’s 14 first half points led all NU scorers to cut Maryland’s lead to 41-39 at halftime. 

While some aspects were unconventional in the first half, second half struggles continued to plague the Cats. A 14-5 Maryland run in the first six minutes of the second half as a result of costly NU turnovers and its inability to stop the three saw the squad face a 55-46 deficit. 

During this stretch, the squad only recorded seven points and faced its first double-digit deficit midway through the first half. The Terrapins shot 6-for-11 from deep in the first half and 14-for-22 in the game, making the Cats’ inability to score for multiple minute stretches even more costly. 

At the same time, Audige cooled down. While the redshirt senior had nine shot attempts in the first half, he attempted only three in the second half. This more passive approach was the result of multiple Maryland double teams and full court pressure, which applied more pressure on the Cats on the offensive end. 

Nevertheless, Audige continued to create opportunities for his teammates who were not able to convert. An excellent cross court pass to Buie in the corner and an in-transition pass to senior forward Robbie Beran for three were two of eight NU missed three-point attempts in the second half. The squad ended Sunday afternoon’s contest shooting only 5-for-19 from deep, despite Audige’s hot start.

Midway through the second half, the Cats stayed cold offensively, failing to record a point in more than four minutes. Over the dwindling minutes of the second half, NU saw a deficit as high as 18. Audige did his best in trying to keep the Cats in it offensively, canning a turnaround jumper and setting up Beran for a driving layup. 

However, it was too little too late. Just days after recording a 25-point second half following a 37-point first half in Illinois, the Cats recorded only 20 points in Sunday’s second half after a 39-point first half performance. 

NU now enters March with a two-game losing streak — its first time losing consecutive games since Feb. 2’s loss to Michigan. 

With the final week of the regular season approaching and the Big Ten Tournament starting up immediately after, it will be imperative that the squad ensures it plays a full 40 minutes and continues the magical season it has been having. 

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