![]() We understand it's always next man up no matter who's out. “It definitely was fun getting to go through some adversity without our best player (Dickinson) and see where we're at as a team,” Jones said. Jones followed with four free throws sandwiched around a 3-pointer from Buie, giving the Wolverines a 72-68 lead with 27 seconds left and setting the stage for the frantic finish. Then after Nance split two free throws to tie it back up, Houstan buried another deep ball to put Michigan back ahead for good. Sophomore forward Terrance Williams II drained a 3-pointer to put the Wolverines up by one. Jones buried a 3-pointer and Dickinson found Diabate for a dunk to even it at 62 with 3:24 to go.Īfter Northwestern went back on top with two free throws and Dickinson fouled out at the 2:29 mark, Michigan kept pushing. The Wolverines started their late charge by stringing together stops and piecing together seven straight points. But I love how we fought through the last five minutes to get the ‘W.’” I know that's been our problem the whole season - second half we always struggle a little bit. “We also we went on a stretch where we missed a lot of defensive assignments. “We weren't making the shots that we were making in the first half and I think we missed a couple layups, a couple shots going in and out,” Jones said. After Michigan missed the front end of a one-and-one and had a shot clock violation, the Wildcats pulled ahead 62-55 with 5:09 remaining. A foul by Dickinson put Northwestern in the bonus and led to two free throws. Michigan briefly regained the lead on a basket from Dickinson, but the unforced errors piled up. Then after coming away with a steal, the Wildcats scored on a driving layup as they eventually pulled even at 51 with 10:06 to play. Following an offensive foul on Jones, the Wildcats splashed a 3-pointer. Then after Houstan drained a 3-pointer, Brooks capped a 12-2 spurt by swishing a deep ball from the top of the key and forcing a Northwestern timeout with 17:10 remaining.īut the momentum didn’t last long as turnovers and a stagnant offense allowed Northwestern to counter with a 25-7 run. The Wolverines led 48-37 early in the second half when fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks (12 points) provided a much-needed spark. After knocking down a 3-pointer, he came away with a steal near midcourt, scored a fast-break layup while being fouled and converted the three-point play. Nance finished with 14 points to lead Northwestern (9-9, 2-7), which shot 61.5% from the free-throw line (16-for-26) and has lost seven of its last eight. Buie and Young each scored 13. With one last chance to tie it or win it, Roper put up a desperation 3-pointer that didn't hit the rim at the buzzer. Northwestern secured the rebound and Michigan elected to foul Boo Buie near midcourt before he could attempt a 3-pointer.īuie made the first free throw to make it a two-point game and missed the second, but Nance grabbed the offensive rebound and got it to Julian Roper II. It was successful for us.”īut after Faulds was fouled on the rebound, he couldn’t shut the door and clanked two free throws with 8.5 ticks remaining. “I do trust our defense will get stops when needed, but since we're up three, send them to the free-throw line and see if they make the free throws. “I did not want to give them an opportunity to come down and run one of their sets where they can possibly get a quick 3,” Howard explained. The Wolverines fouled Pete Nance with 9.3 seconds left and sent him to the line, where he missed both attempts. With a chance for Northwestern to potentially tie it and force overtime, Howard didn't let things play out. Young made the first free throw and missed the second, but the Wildcats grabbed the offensive rebound and called their final timeout with 12.4 seconds left. With Michigan leading 72-68 and both teams in the double bonus, Northwestern’s Ryan Young was fouled by senior walk-on forward Jaron Faulds. Northwestern was responsible for four of those during the tense finish. The teams shot 52 total free throws and missed 18 of them, with six misses coming in the final 17 seconds. The Wolverines and Wildcats combined for 46 fouls and three players fouled out in the closing minutes, including Michigan big men Hunter Dickinson and Moussa Diabate.
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