For a team that looked completely lost against Minnesota just a few weeks ago, Northwestern has come quite a long way.
Behind aggressive defense and efficient shooting, the Wildcats (12-8, 3-4 Big Ten) rocked Welsh-Ryan Arena with a 55-48 rematch victory over the No. 12 Golden Gophers (15-4, 3-3).
Senior forward Jared Swopshire led the ‘Cats with 16 points and eight rebounds, while senior guard Reggie Hearn added 13. Forward Trevor Mbakwe had 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Golden Gophers, who were held 18 points below their previous season low.
Both teams came out firing, poised for what had the potential to be a shootout. Minnesota hit four of its first five three-pointers as freshman guard Tre Demps got lost on defense a couple times in his first start of the year. On the other end, however, Swopshire had eight points in the first five minutes, scoring from all around the floor.
After that, Minnesota went ice cold. The Gophers missed shot after shot while Northwestern’s man-to-man forced tough looks. The long shots led to long rebounds, though, and Minnesota chased down 15 offensive boards in the half, just one off of their conference-leading per-game average.
Even with all the second chances, Minnesota still couldn’t convert. Swopshire frustrated high-flying senior Rodney Williams, Jr., and season leading scorer Andre Hollins hit just 1-of-6 shots.
Northwestern had every chance to grab a lead, but they hurt themselves by shooting just 7-of-15 from the free throw line. Freshmen big men Alex Olah and Mike Turner got into foul trouble, forcing Carmody to continually sub them in and out and preventing the ‘Cats from getting in a rhythm offensively. Trailing 27-24 at half, the ‘Cats looked sluggish early on.
Northwestern coach Bill Carmody decided to go to his 1-3-1 zone once the second half kicked off. The Wildcats got a stop, Swopshire grabbed a board, sophomore guard Dave Sobolewski pushed it up the floor, and senior guard Alex Marcotullio hit the transition three, cutting the deficit to 32-34.
“That zone made the difference,” said Carmody. “We got out and we just felt confident that we could stop them. That helps your offense.”
After an Mbakwe tip-in and a missed three by Marcotullio, the ‘Cats turned up the pressure. Marcotullio’s quick hands got two straight steals from the top of the zone, leading to consecutive and-one layups in transition for Hearn, tying the game at 37.
“Al has always been great at the top of the 1-3-1,” Hearn said. “He’s always creating havoc and getting steals and getting his hands on balls, and that led to a couple fast break points for us.”
Threes by Marcotullio and Demps extended the lead to 43-39. When Olah was able to back down Mbakwe and put in a layup for his only field goal of the game, it was clear that this was Northwestern’s night. The 23-5 run put them up 50-41 and gave them a lead that proved to be insurmountable.
When the final whistle blew, Northwestern had knocked off its second ranked opponent in the past week, after defeating then-No. 23 Illinois last Thursday. Though they struggled with a 17-of-32 performance from the free throw line, the Wildcats hit enough to prevent a late comeback, earning their fifth straight home win over the Golden Gophers.
Swopshire was huge for the ‘Cats, grabbing rebounds when Olah and Turner were ineffective on the glass. He was a big reason why Minnesota was only able to grab five offensive rebounds in the second half.
“Some of those rebounds were way up there, two-handed rebounds that we hadn’t seen in the past that often,” said Carmody. “I just think he’s playing better and better.”
With his help, Northwestern was able to grab its first home victory in a month and its first home victory in Big Ten play. When reminded of late collapses in past games and how that affected the team’s mindset, Carmody made it clear that he’s focused on the present and the road ahead.
“I haven’t really thought about that too much,” he said. “It’s great to get a win at Welsh-Ryan Arena, I know that.”
The Wildcats will try to even out their conference record when they head to Lincoln on Saturday to take on Nebraska.
Player ratings (1-10, 10 being best)
Dave Sobolewski, 7: The steady point guard grabbed five rebounds, did not turn the ball over a single time, and was lauded by Carmody for his second-half passing. Still, he did not look to shoot as often as usual, and his 3-for-8 performance from the free-throw line was frustrating.
Tre Demps, 6: In his first start of the season, the freshman started off poorly on defense, allowing a couple open threes. Later on, he commanded a lot of attention on offense, and hit a crucial three late in the game to increase the lead.
Reggie Hearn, 7.5: The team’s leading scorer was a non-factor on offense in the first half, but Hearn came out strong in the second. His two consecutive fast-break layups were momentum builders, and Hearn set the tone by attacking the basket instead of settling for jumpers.
Jared Swopshire, 9: Swopshire had a fantastic night. On offense, the senior got the ‘Cats off to a quick start, and throughout the game he provided a big basket whenever they needed it. Defensively, he shut down Rodney Williams in man-to-man, and he was extremely disruptive from the wing spot of the zone defense. Add to that eight rebounds when the team desperately needed boards, and you’ve got yourself a complete game.
Alex Olah, 3.5: Similar to the last game against Minnesota, Olah was dominated by the much more athletic Mbakwe. He had just one rebound in the game. However, Olah was a strong force in the middle of the 1-3-1, and his late back-down layup was key to maintaining the lead.
Bench, 7.5: Mike Turner got into foul trouble agin, and like Olah, he had just one rebound. Freshman Kale Abrahamson played just two minutes in his first game off the bench. Senior forward Nikola Cerina only went in when Turner and Olah were in foul trouble, and he did not have much of an impact. But this was all offset by the play of Marcotullio, who did a masterful job forcing turnovers from the top of the zone and hit two big three-pointers in the second half.