PUERTO AVENTURAS, Mexico -- A first-half scoring drought proved to be too much for the Northwestern men's basketball team to overcome as the Wildcats dropped the championship game of the Cancun Challenge to Northern Iowa 61-42 Wednesday evening.
The loss is the first of the season for the 'Cats (5-1) while UNI, which is receiving votes in both national polls, improves to 6-0.
Bryant McIntosh had the hot hand early on for the Wildcats, scoring the team's first 10 points, including the first five overall of the game, as NU got out of the gates quickly.
A 3-pointer by Tre Demps at the shot clock buzzer put Northwestern in front 13-10 with 13 minutes remaining in the opening half.
The Wildcats trailed by one when Alex Olah scored down low then stepped outside to hit a triple, giving NU an 18-14 lead. However, a pair of 3-pointers by Nate Buss ignited a 17-point run that put the Panthers up 31-18 as Northwestern was held scoreless over a span of nearly 10 minutes.
The drought finally ended when McIntosh found Gavin Skelly for a layup with 31 seconds remaining in the half. Following a turnover by UNI, Tre Demps' half-court heave rattled in and out as the 'Cats took a 31-20 deficit into halftime.
Consecutive baskets by McIntosh and Olah early on the second period got the Wildcats back with single digits at 33-24.
Northwestern continued to hang around as Scottie Lindsey's 3-pointer off a reload make it 45-35 with just over 11 minutes remaining. However, the Panthers used a seven-point run to give themselves some breathing room on their way to the tourney title.
McIntosh paced the Wildcats with 13 points while Olah added 8. Both players were named to the all-tournament team. Tournament MVP Seth Tuttle paced the Panthers with 19 points.
Northwestern takes the next week off from competition before returning to action Wednesday, Dec. 3 when it hosts Georgia Tech as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Tip-off is 8:15 p.m. and tickets are available by calling 888-GO-PURPLE or online at NUsports.com.
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