Aug. 2, 2010
The 2009-10 athletic year at Northwestern University was one to remember. Filled with memorable wins, honors and championships, there was much to be celebrated this past year in Evanston. Be sure to follow along at NUsports.com through August 6 as we take a look back at some of the very best highlights the Wildcats experienced last season.
Original Recap, Box Score, Quotes and Photos
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern junior point guard Michael Thompson had always seen other schools' fans rush the court following a big win, but he had yet to experience it for himself at Welsh-Ryan Arena during his time at NU. Behind Thompson's team-high 20 points, the Wildcats got to party with their fans on the court following the team's 72-64 win over No. 6 Purdue Jan. 16. The moment is No. 5 in our year-end countdown.
In front of a sellout crowd, Luka Mirkovic had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman Drew Crawford contributed 15 points including making a number of huge plays down the stretch.
The Wildcats held a slim lead throughout the majority of the contest and their lead was one, 58-57, with just over two minutes remaining when Crawford drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the hosts up by four. NU got a stop on the other end and then Crawford exploded off the dribble from outside the arch on the left wing. He made it all the way to the rim where he converted the lay-up and drew a foul. The freshman would complete the old fashioned three-point play to put the 'Cats up 64-57 with 1:31 remaining.
Northwestern would seal the win at the free throw line and once the final horn sounded, fans stormed the court to celebrate with their team. The Wildcats dominated the boards in the contest, holding a 42-23 rebounding advantage, while limiting the Boilermakers to 35 percent shooting from the field including 5-of-23 from 3-point range.
"I just thought it was a really good team effort," Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody said. "I think [Purdue] was hurt when [JaJuan] Johnson got in foul trouble and then Luka [Mirkovic] did a good job scoring around the basket there. Throughout the whole game, we rebounded. They didn't get that many second shots. So we got a win and we hit our foul shots too. That made the difference."
The victory was the Wildcats' second in a row over a ranked Purdue squad that went on to earn a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship.