EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern improved to 4-0, defeating visiting Elon on Saturday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena, but for the second straight game it didn't come easy as the Wildcats posted a 68-67 overtime win. NU overcame multiple 10-point deficits and used Tre Demps' strong offensive performance (21 points, including a second straight game-winner) to grab another narrow victory, despite never leading by more than two points.
Freshman forward Vic Law had 16 points, along with two blocks and a steal, and Alex Olah added a career-high 12 rebounds and three blocks as the Wildcats forced 15 turnovers and held the Phoenix to 38.5 percent shooting from the floor.
"I thought Elon played really tough," said head coach Chris Collins. "We had a lot of guys step up to help us win this game. I thought [freshman guard] Johnnie Vassar's energy in the second half just kind of woke us up a bit, and I thought [freshman forward] Gavin Skelly again gave us great minutes with his energy at the big spot."
Northwestern's defense started strong, holding the Phoenix to one field goal for almost three and a half minutes to open up the game, but Elon was also stingy on the defensive end. During the tightly contested opening several minutes, Skelly made an impact off the bench once again, subbing in for Olah early and converting on his two field goal attempts, the second of which came via a dunk after a nifty bounce pass from Nathan Taphorn.
After the slam gave Northwestern a 9-7 edge, Elon went on a 12-0 run to take a 19-9 lead, including a long 3-pointer by junior guard Tanner Samson, the second of his eight treys in the game.
However, the Wildcats finally got their offense going and rattled off 10 straight points to tie the score up at 19. Elon continued to hang tough, though, as it eventually took a 29-27 lead into halftime.
As in the first half, Elon pressured the Wildcats coming out of the break, at times using a full-court press and also aggressively employing double teams.
Less than a minute in, Samson again hit a long, contested 3-pointer, giving him a game-high 12 points and extending Elon's lead to 33-27. Olah responded on the other end with his first field goal, but the Phoenix went on a 6-0 run to push their lead to 10.
Vassar came into the game at the 16:37 mark for his first career minutes and immediately shored up the Wildcats' defense by drawing a charge and playing strong on-ball defense. The Phoenix didn't record a field goal for more than three minutes after Vassar came in, and the freshman also converted on a jumper, his first career shot. Law was also instrumental on defense, coming up with the first of his two blocks and grabbing the ensuing rebound.
"[Vassar] brought life, him and Gavin Skelly, just all their energy and enthusiasm," Law said. "Both of those two guys, stepping in and playing really hard, as a team is what it's all about. They stepped up and played really well and were key factors in helping us win."
The Phoenix kept chucking from beyond the arc, and the shots continued to go down. Another three from Eddy put Elon at 8-of-13 on three-point attempts and gave the Phoenix an eight-point lead. Just like on Thursday night, however, the Wildcats started chipping away, and another jumper by Demps put Northwestern within three points just past the eight-minute mark.
The teams traded baskets down the stretch, and with 1:31 remaining, Law converted on two more free throws to make it 61-59 in favor of the Phoenix. Northwestern then came up with a defensive stop after a missed jumper, and McIntosh drove baseline for an easy layup on the following possession to tie the game.
Northwestern then forced an offensive foul, but Demps narrowly missed another game-winner on the other end after his jumper from the free throw line bounced off the front of the rim. Elon's Elijah Bryant attempted a last-gasp shot from well beyond the three-point line on the last possession of regulation, but it missed the mark and the game went to overtime.
Samson gave the Phoenix an early edge with his eighth 3-pointer of the game to start the period, but Northwestern played steadfast defense after that and held Elon to just one point for the next two-and-a-half minutes.
The Wildcats had trouble breaking through the Phoenix defense themselves, but a nice feed from Demps to Lumpkin under the basket followed by two more free throws from Law put Northwestern within a single point.
Another defensive stop set up Demps to once again play the hero, and he hit a nearly identical shot to the one he missed near the end of regulation to give Northwestern a 68-67 edge. With the first lead in hand since the early 9-7 advantage, it was only fitting that Skelly, whose dunk gave Northwestern that lead back near the beginning of the game, would play a key role in the victory. After a missed shot by Elon bounced around on the floor, Skelly dove and knocked the loose ball off a Phoenix player and out of bounds.
"We have a team where everybody steps up in any game," Law said. "On any given night, we can have a great game."
Elon fouled Olah on the next possession, but after he missed both free throw attempts, the Northwestern defense again came through. Olah blocked an initial shot but the ball went out of bounds to the Phoenix with 5.3 seconds remaining. With the ball under their own basket, Elon got the inbounds pass to Bryant at the elbow, but Law forced a tough shot that was off the mark to seal the win.
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