BLOOMINGTON, IND. — Three days removed from a defeat at Rutgers, Northwestern looked to escape its road woes against Indiana Sunday.
The Wildcats swept the season series against the Hoosiers last season and were in desperate need of their first road victory since Jan. 10.
Both teams struggled to score from the onset, combining for 11 points by the game’s first media timeout. Graduate student guard Boo Buie’s pair of free throws opened the scoring for the ‘Cats, while graduate student guard Ryan Langborg’s 3-pointer gave the visitors an early 7-4 advantage.
Indiana capitalized on NU’s three-minute scoring drought, reclaiming the lead 10-9 with 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
The ‘Cats quickly mitigated their early shooting struggles. Junior guard Brooks Barnhizer’s corner three capped a 9-2 NU scoring run and extended the visitor’s lead to 20-14.
The visitors maintained their lead throughout much of the first frame. Langborg’s second-chance trey and sophomore forward Nick Martinelli’s staple hookshot extended the ‘Cats’ lead to 27-19.
Several possessions later, senior center Matthew Nicholson’s dunk off Langborg’s acrobatic assist extended NU’s lead into double digits for the first time all afternoon.
After the Hoosier trimmed the ‘Cats’ lead to as low as six in the final minute of the first half, Langborg’s jumper allowed the visitors to hold a 34-26 advantage entering the locker room.
Following early second-half scoring difficulties for the visitors, Indiana rode a 7-0 run to cut NU’s lead to 34-33. The ‘Cats tallied their first points three minutes into the frame off Nicholson’s second-chance layup.
Over the second half, both teams exchanged baskets, turning a once-comfortable NU lead to as low as one point multiple times. Searching for a significant sequence, Nicholson’s layup and second-chance dunk capped a 7-0 ‘Cats run and extended the lead back into double digits at 55-45 with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Minutes later, Buie recorded his first points of the second frame off a pair of stepback threes, extending NU’s lead to 61-47 — its largest of the afternoon.
Riding an 11-0 run, the Hoosiers trimmed their deficit down to five with less than three minutes remaining.
The ‘Cats fended off the late scare and held on for a much-needed road win.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s victory over Indiana.
1. Amid foul trouble, Langborg’s early start lifts offense
After being called for a flagrant two foul 10 minutes into Thursday’s contest, Langborg was aggressive from the game’s onset.
Canning a pullup jumper and a deep three, the Princeton transfer scored five of NU’s first seven points. Langborg’s offensive production was especially valuable after Buie and Barnhizer each committed two early fouls.
The team’s primary ball handler during much of the first frame, Langborg also set up his teammates for scoring opportunities. The graduate student recorded three of NU’s six first half assists.
By the intermission, Langborg tallied a game-high 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. With Buie playing eight first half minutes, the Princeton transfer helped keep NU ahead with experimental lineups around him.
Over the second half, he remained the focal point of the ‘Cats offense, recording 14 points and finishing with 26 points.
2. Early foul trouble forces Buie and Barnhizer to bench
Following Thursday’s defeat at Rutgers, coach Chris Collins reiterated his team’s need for “all hands on deck.”
This was essential Sunday, when two of the ‘Cats’ key contributions — Buie and Barnhizer — each committed two early fouls.
After four early points from the charity stripe, Buie sat on the sidelines for a near 11-minute stretch. Meanwhile, Barnhizer did not see the court for the frame’s final eight minutes after committing his second foul.
As a result of Buie and Barnhizrer’s combined 18 first half minutes, Collins played nine players during the game’s first 20 minutes — with Langborg playing the entire 20 minutes and Martinelli seeing 18 minutes of game time.
3. Nicholson’s double-double sparks ‘Cats in second half
Although his starting spot was an unsteady January fixture, Nicholson has now cemented a prominent position in NU’s key rotation.
This held true on Sunday, when the ‘Cats needed to find scoring opportunities after initial shooting struggles. The Hoosiers restricted NU to shoot at a 3-of-10 clip from beyond the arc amid first-half action.
As a result, Collins and co. needed an increased offensive role from its front court, paving the way for Nicholson’s offensive role.
NU capitalized off 14 offensive rebounds with 11 second chance points.
After recording four points and five rebounds over the first half, Nicholson continued where he left off out of the locker room. Tallying 14 points and corralling a team-high 16 rebounds, the senior center ended Sunday’s matchup with his first career double-double.
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