Bryant McIntosh had 18 points and Tre Demps chipped in 17 as the Wildcats took Michigan State to overtime before losing 84-77. Northwestern clawed their way back from eight down (66-58) to reach a 72-72 tie with 18 seconds left before Demps missed a game-winning shot at the end of regulation. The Spartans went on to outscore Northwestern 12-5 in the overtime period.
While the Wildcats made 47 percent of their field goals, including 48 percent from behind the arc, they turned the ball over 14 times to a Michigan State team that excels at fast break scoring.
Grade: A loss is still a loss, but this team rebounded nicely from the smashing they received against Wisconsin. B-
Women’s Basketball
The Wildcats have now beaten Michigan State twice during the Spartans' five game losing streak. Ashley Deary led Northwestern, who won the game 77-70, with 18 points, but all NU starters had at least 12 points. Michigan State’s Aerial Powers dominated the game, finishing with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals.
The Wildcats only shot 58 percent from the free throw line, including four misses in the last two minutes.
Grade: There wasn’t much finesse, but the Wildcats came away with the win. A-
Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving
Both men’s and women’s swimming and diving beat Notre Dame but lost to top-10-ranked Michigan squads in Ann Arbor this past weekend.
While the men topped Notre Dame by 46 points, the women pulled out their six-point victory in the last event of the day when the Northwestern A and B 400-yard freestyle relay teams placed second and third, respectively.
Jordan Wilmovsky and Lacey Locke were the only Wildcats to place first in an event – Wilmovsky in the 1650 yard free (as always) and Locke in the 200 yard backstroke. Men’s diver Andrew Cramer finished second in one-meter diving.
Grade: Both teams fell handily to Michigan, but the women sneaked out with a win over Notre Dame while the men handed the Fighting Irish a 46-point loss. For the women, C+. For the men, B.
Wrestling
The No. 18 Wildcats fell to the No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers 30-16 in Evanston last Friday, with Northwestern only winning four of the ten matchups at the dual meet, including wins from Jason Tsirtsis, Alex Pollizi, Jameson Oster and Garrison White (by forfeit). Tsirtsis, the nation’s No. 1-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds, is now 22-0 on the year.
Grade: Several strong performances, but the Wildcats are struggling to win meets against other ranked opponents. C+