Jan. 11, 2012
Box Score
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #13/13 Michigan 66, Northwestern 64 (OT)
Records: NU (11-5, 1-3 Big Ten), Michigan (14-3, 4-1 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Saturday, Jan. 14 -- vs. Michigan State (Welsh-Ryan Arena), 2 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Northwestern led nearly throughout regulation, but No. 13 Michigan outscored the Wildcats 12-10 in the overtime session as the Wolverines posted a 66-64 victory Wednesday evening at Crisler Center.
John Shurna scored a game-high 21 points for NU, while Drew Crawford added 20. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke paced Michigan with 19 points apiece.
Down by three late in the extra period, Crawford scored on a dunk with 6.5 seconds left to make it a one-point game. Burke was fouled immediately and make both free throws to push the advantage back up to three.
Needing a triple to tie, Alex Marcotullio was fouled by Hardaway attempting a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left. However, he missed the first free throw. After making the second, he missed the third intentionally, but Northwestern was unable to get a tip-in to extend the game.
Northwestern got the game off to a great start, scoring the first eight points of the contest as Michigan missed its first eight field goal attempts. However, the Wolverines battled back behind the hot hand of Hardaway as he scored 10 points during a 13-3 run that gave the hosts a 15-13 advantage.
The series of runs continued as the Wildcats responded by scoring 14 of the next 19 points to surge in front 27-20. Shurna, who tallied 12 points in the opening half, scored seven during the run.
Despite Michigan shooting just 28.1 percent from the field in the first half, NU led by just two, 29-27, with 1:52 left in the half following a basket by Trey Burke. Drew Crawford scored the final five points of the stanza, though, to give Northwestern a 34-27 advantage at the break.
Hardaway kept the Wolverines in the game by hitting four of his five 3-point attempts, while the rest of the team made only one of its 11 tries.
A 3-pointer by Shurna to start the second half gave Northwestern its largest lead of the game at 10 before Michigan got things going.
The Wildcats' advantage was 44-36 with 13:49 remaining following a tough jumper by Dave Sobolewski before the Wolverines rattled off 10 consecutive points to take a 46-44 lead, the first advantage since they led 15-13.
Once again, NU was able to respond as baskets by Crawford, Shurna and Sobolewski put the Wildcats back on top 50-46.
Hardaway's lone 3-pointer of the second half with 2:40 to go tied the game 54-54, but that would be the last of the scoring in regulation.
Northwestern had the final possession in regulation with a chance to win when Crawford drove into the lane. However, he was called for a traveling violation with 1.5 seconds left despite a great deal of contact as he rose up for a jump shot.
In the extra period, the failure to grab a defensive rebound came back to haunt the 'Cats. Shurna scored the first basket of overtime, but Stu Douglass tied the game with a basket and Evan Smotrycz made two from the charity stripe to give Michigan a 58-56 lead.
Luka Mirkovic scored to tie the game before a put-back by Burke with 2:11 to go, put the hosts back up by two. After NU failed to score, Burke made one from the line before Sobolewski hit two free throws to make it a one-point game with 57.9 seconds left.
Burke make two more from the line with 32.6 seconds remaining before Crawford's dunk cut it to one again. However, the Wildcats were unable to make it all the way back.
Northwestern returns to action at 2 p.m. Saturday when it hosts No. 6/7 Michigan State at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
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