Nov. 21, 2003
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EVANSTON, Ill. - It may be hard to predict how many wins or losses the Northwestern men's basketball team is going to accumulate this season, but if Friday night's season opener is any indication this much is for sure.
The Wildcats are going to be a lot of fun to watch.
In a game where the 'Cats seemed to run out of steam against a highly regarded opponent, Colorado's Michel Morandais scored 21 points and the Buffs held NU to three baskets in the final 13 minutes to beat the Wildcats, 67-56.
Jitim Young scored 18 for Northwestern, which played some of its best basketball during Bill Carmody's four-year tenure in the first half by shooting 52 percent.
Blair Wilson added 16 points and David Harrison had 10 for Colorado. For Northwestern, Vedran Vukusic netted 13 points, while T.J. Parker scored 12 but was forced to sit a majority of the second half due to cramping in his legs. Eleven of his points came in the first half, when the NU offense was flowing much more smoothly.
Spurred on by a nice crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Northwestern jumped out with the first six points of the game and -- using a combination of up-tempo basketball and great passing in the half-court set -- pushed the margin to as much as eight during the first 10 minutes.
Colorado -- which returns four starters from a team that went 20-12 a year ago and made the NCAA Tournament out of the Big 12 Conference -- used a 10-2 run to knot the game at 20-20 with five minutes left in the half, and took its first lead on a free throw by Morandais. However, NU used an 8-2 run to regain the lead, and eventually went into the locker room up 32-27.
"I thought we played well in that first half," said NU head coach Bill Carmody. "But Colorado played a 40-minute game and we did not. They kind of tightened up on defense in the second half. We didn't give them very many good looks in the first half, but they found a way to get looks in the second."
The Buffs quickly ate up Northwestern's halftime lead in the second, and the game see-sawed for several minutes. Then, with the 'Cats up by a basket with 13 minutes left, Morandais -- to that point Colorado's biggest offensive weapon -- picked up his fourth foul and was forced to the bench. Young made two free throws for a 45-41 lead.
But with Morandais out of the game, Colorado didn't falter. Three-pointers by Wilson and Marcus Hall and a followup basket by Glean Eddy highlighted a 14-2 run that put Colorado up 55-47 with just over six minutes left.
Harrison's slam follow after Morandais had reentered the game gave the Buffaloes a 10-point lead with 3:35 to play, and Northwestern did not have the energy to create a comeback after that.
The Wildcats will be in action at home again Sunday night, taking on Chicago State at 7 p.m.