By Jasper Scherer
Northwestern Athletic Communications
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern came within one point of making up an early 18-point deficit, but the comeback wasn't enough as the Wildcats came up on the losing end of a 66-58 contest against Georgia Tech Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Thanks in large part to Alex Olah scoring 15 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, Northwestern outscored Georgia Tech by five during the final 20 minutes and trailed 57-56 at one point. The interior defense also stepped up in the second period, limiting the opposing big men and playing competitively on the glass.
"I thought our guys battled well," said Northwestern head coach Chris Collins. "A huge emphasis in this game was the rebounding, and we played them straight up on the boards even though we were undersized at a lot of positions."
Vic Law opened Northwestern's scoring by knocking down a jumper in the opening minute to erase an early 2-0 deficit, but the Yellow Jackets went on a 12-0 run heading into the first media timeout.
Coming out of the break, Collins opted to counter Georgia Tech's inside-heavy attack by subbing in center Jeremiah Kreisberg to pair with Olah down low. After the Wildcats slowed down Georgia Tech's offense, Olah converted on a layup to break the spell, the start of a 9-2 Northwestern run. Sanjay Lumpkin followed up with some nice footwork on the fastbreak that led to an easy layup, and Olah contributed on the defensive end right after with a steal.
Kreisberg capped off the run with an offensive rebound that put him in position for a tough, contested layup, and the Wildcats' deficit was reduced to single digits. The Yellow Jackets went on a short run after that, but Olah came through with an and-one layup near the end of the half, battling through a double team under the basket to add two points the hard way.
After the first 20 minutes, Georgia Tech led 31-18, though Lumpkin had five points on 2-of-4 shooting and Olah (two steals) and Tre Demps each contributed four rebounds. Northwestern also closed the half with a 16-11 run.
Lumpkin opened the second-half scoring with an early bucket after Olah blocked Georgia Tech's Demarco Cox on the other end. Scottie Lindsey, shooting an even 50 percent on 3-pointers coming into the game, knocked down a trey to make it 33-23, before Demps fed Olah inside on the next possession.
The teams traded hoops from there, going back and forth with a steady diet of inside baskets from Olah. The junior center hit on all six of his second-half shots (and both of his free throws), providing a reliable inside scoring presence for the 'Cats to turn to when they needed a key bucket. The Georgia Tech big men also ran into the Romanian on the defensive end.
"We were trying to keep them off the block as much as we could and then we were sending help," Collins said about limiting Georgia Tech's inside presence in the second half. "I thought Alex was really big defensively down there bothering them. I thought overall we did a really good job in the second half."
With Northwestern trailing by 11, Demps knocked down his only 3-pointer of the game, then pulled up for a wide open jumper at the top of the key after the Georgia Tech defender went down without a call. The Wildcats then turned to Olah once again, and he converted on a jump hook to put Northwestern within four points with 3:26 remaining.
After the Wildcats forced Georgia Tech's 11th turnover of the game, McIntosh brought the ball down the court, drove in and kicked out to a wide-open Olah on the perimeter after drawing a double team. Staying true to form, he hit his final shot of the night--and only 3-pointer--to remain perfect in the half and put Northwestern within one. The Wildcats failed to convert a field goal after that, however, and the Yellow Jackets walked away with the win.
Even in defeat, Olah's performance in the second half will give him some momentum going into a tough matchup against Butler.
"I just played the game. The players and the coaches kept trusting me. They kept throwing the ball to me," Olah said about his second-half rejuvenation. "We just have to throw the first punch."
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter and Instagram, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook and sign up to receive promotional text alerts for the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!