In a heartbreaking loss to No. 1-ranked Ohio State of 58-57 on Saturday night, Northwestern showed its mettle by taking the nation’s top team down to the final seconds without leading scorer John Shurna. While the ‘Cats came up just short, the caliber of play without Shurna should leave fans wondering just how good this team can be.
STAT OF THE GAME |Drew Crawford shoots 2-12 from the floor
With John Shurna concussed, there was a 19-point void left for another ‘Cat to fill. Drew Crawford should have been the one to step into that role, with his ability to create his own shot in addition to being a decent threat from range. Instead, he made just two of 12 shots, eight attempts which were from distance. Four of his nine points came off of free throws. He did have a key offensive rebound that led to a Michael “Juice” Thompson three-pointer to pull the ‘Cats to within four, but the team needed his scoring punch to overcome the loss of John Shurna’s offense.
HERO OF THE GAME | Jared Sullinger
As much as it may pain us to admit it, the guy who sinks the game-winning free throws is the hero of the game. Never mind that Sullinger actually missed the first freebie (and two others late in the game to keep the ‘Cats close); he made one when it counted, and it counted with 3.5 seconds left on the clock. Doesn’t matter if you win by one, two or three if you still win.
TURNING POINT |Dallas Lauderdale’s intentional foul on Davide Curletti, 7:53 left in the second half
With just under eight minutes left in the game, the ‘Cats were down 39-51. Then, Juice hit a three at the 7:53 mark to bring the ‘Cats to within nine. Simultaneously, Ohio State’s Dallas Lauderdale was called for an intentional foul on Davide Curletti. Curletti sank one of the two free throws, and Northwestern retained possession. JerShon Cobb made a three-pointer, and all of a sudden a seven-point possession brought the score to 46-51. Northwestern got two three-pointers from Juice sandwiched around one from Alex Marcotullio to take the lead at 55-54 with just under four minutes to play, setting the stage for the down-to-the-wire finish.
WHERE TO IMPROVE | John Shurna’s head/ankle/general well-being
Remember how Ohio State is the top-ranked team in the nation? Remember how we were one point shy of dethroning them and snapping their 21-game winning streak? Remember how the student sections were packed and how much heart the ‘Cats played with?
Add a healthy John Shurna to that, and imagine just what this basketball program could become.