On an emotional Senior Night which saw it bid an early farewell to one of its most successful senior classes in program history, Northwestern fell narrowly short in front of a boisterous Welsh-Ryan Arena, losing to UCLA 73-69.
Down 10 points with just a minute to play, the Wildcats (16-14, 7-12 Big Ten) nearly mounted a remarkable comeback. Graduate student center Matthew Nicholson slammed home a dunk, before graduate student guard Ty Berry capitalized on a steal to finish at the rim and splashed a three to cut the lead to 68-65 with 33 seconds remaining.
Another Bruin turnover allowed Berry to bring the ’Cats within one on a layup. But, after the visitors split a pair of free throws, junior forward Nick Martinelli lost the ball while going up for a floater that would have tied the game and UCLA (21-9, 12-7 Big Ten) survived.
With the loss, coach Chris Collins’ side suffered a devastating blow to their already slim NCAA Tournament hopes.
Berry led the way with 22 points, while Martinelli chipped in with 20. The Bruins were guided to victory by a 19-point showing from forward Tyler Bilodeau.
The visitors got off to a strong start, scoring the game’s first five points and swarming NU’s ball-handlers to force three turnovers in the first five minutes. But, after five early points from Martinelli, Berry and junior guard Justin Mullins each hit threes to knot the game at 11-11.
Freshman guard K.J. Windham took some time to settle into the contest, but nailed a pair of triples to put the ’Cats up 22-21 just after the midpoint of the half. The teams continued to trade offensive barbs throughout the period and graduate student center Matthew Nicholson’s wide-open dunk with four seconds remaining allowed NU to regain a slim advantage, 35-34, at the break.
The second half began in a similar character to the first, with each side taking turns reclaiming the lead. With eleven minutes remaining, neither squad had held a lead larger than five points.
An 8-0 run from the West Coast outfit starting at the 6:30 mark extended UCLA’s lead to 64-52, which ultimately proved insurmountable despite the ‘Cats’ titanic last-gasp effort.
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s crushing loss to UCLA:
1. Seniors leave it all on the floor
In their last game in Evanston, Berry, Nicholson and graduate student center Keenan Fitzmorris each contributed significantly.
Berry scored 22 points, sinking four 3-pointers in a manner he has executed time and time again on this floor.
Nicholson and Fitzmorris split the center duties, battling hard against UCLA’s talented big men — including the looming 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara — throughout the night. The pair held Mara to 1-for-4 from the field in the first half, but the Spaniard began to find favorable positioning in the second period, capitalizing to the tune of 9 points.
Nicholson’s cut to the basket and slam in the dying embers of the first half gave the ’Cats a one-point lead to savor in the locker room.
Fitzmorris, meanwhile, came alive midway through the second half, sinking crucial back-to-back buckets to keep NU within four points.
Berry contributed seven consecutive points down the stretch, including a contested 3-pointer with 33 seconds remaining to cut the Bruins’ lead to three points.
2. Welsh-Ryan magic not enough
From tip-off, Welsh-Ryan Arena was packed and in full voice, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of the two previous seasons when the ’Cats rode a rambunctious home crowd to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Given the severe adversity the ’Cats have faced throughout the season — between bizarre losses in crunch time, season-ending injuries to two top-three scorers and a 4-11 start to conference play — it seemed almost inconceivable they would be playing a game with such palpably monumental stakes.
After Mullins snatched an errant pass and ran the length of the floor, his one-handed jam that put the ’Cats ahead 42-40 four minutes past the intermission blew the roof off the place.
As NU nearly completed the most improbable comeback in the game’s final minute, the Welsh-Ryan faithful did everything it could to haul its team over the line, as it has done on countless occasions in recent years.
The ’Cats ultimately fell short as their consistent first-half scoring dried up and the Bruins’ late 14-point advantage proved just a step too far.
Nevertheless, the atmosphere Monday was an apt home-crowd send-off for a team that has battled its way over seemingly endless hurdles.
3. Bubble burst
When the ’Cats sunk to 4-11 in Big Ten play after blowing a 20-point lead at home to Nebraska, it seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Yet, following three consecutive wins, ESPN’s chief bracketologist Joe Lunardi placed NU as the ninth team out from the Big Dance heading into Monday’s showdown against UCLA.
Collins’ squad had a golden opportunity to claim a Quad 1 win over the Bruins and move closer to the cut line, but the Senior Night defeat all but ended its hopes of an at-large bid. A Quad 1 victory on the road at No. 13 Maryland might put the ’Cats back in the conversation, but they would still likely need to prevail in several Big Ten Tournament games to merit serious consideration on Selection Sunday.
From this point on, it’s virtually do-or-die.
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