|
Northwestern Drills 20 3-Pointers in 92-67 Win Over MVSU
Wildcats scorch nets for 59 first-half points EVANSTON,
Ill. -- Behind a school-record-tying 20 3-pointers and 59 first-half
points, Northwestern cruised to a 92-67 victory over Mississippi Valley
State Friday night in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The 20 makes from
downtown matches the team record set on Dec. 13, 2009 against North
Carolina A&T, while the team's 30 assists ranks only second
all-time to the 32-assist effort against Benedictine (Ill.) on Nov. 20,
2007.
Senior Nick Fruendt led Northwestern with a career-best 21
points, shooting 4-5 from behind the arc, while adding six rebounds.
Paul Crosby's game-high 23 points steered the Delta Devils, who scored
46 of their 67 points in the second half.
Reggie Hearn tallied
15 points and team-high seven rebounds, while Luka Mirkovic added 11
points to the Wildcat cause. Alex Marcotullio led the squad with seven
assists.
Paced by Drew Crawford with 14 first-half points, the
Wildcats jumped out to a big lead early on the Delta Devils. John
Shurna, who finished with nine points in just 11 minutes of action,
kicked things off with two quick 3-pointers in the game's opening
minutes, beginning an onslaught of trey for the `Cats.
Watch Game Highlights
After
an initial 21-4 run by Northwestern, Crawford went on a tear, knocking
down 14 of Northwestern's 17 points to extend the lead to 25 at the
seven-and-a-half minute mark. The junior forward put an exclamation
point on NU's run with a monster block, leading to a Dave Sobolewski
three from the top of the key.
From there, the Wildcat defense
took control, holding MVSU scoreless for more than seven minutes. The
Delta Devils attempted a run of their own down the stretch, matching
the `Cats bucket-for-bucket, but NU continued to rain down 3-pointers,
eventually taking their 12-for-19 effort from behind the arc into the
lockerroom up 59-21 at the break.
Northwestern shot 68.6 percent from the field (22-32) over the opening 20 minutes of play.
With
a big contest against No. 7 Baylor looming on Sunday, head coach Bill
Carmody rested the majority of his starters in the second half as
Shurna, Crawford, Mirkovic and Sobolewski never saw the court.
After
halftime, the shots continued to fall early for Northwestern. Fruendt
scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, but his 3-pointer with
one minute remaining made it 20 threes for NU, tying the school record.
MVSU
was able to make the score more respectable down the stretch as the
Wildcats showed mercy by emptying their bench for extended minutes.
Northwestern and Baylor tip off at 3 p.m. Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
|
