EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern sent its seniors out in dramatic fashion as the Wildcats overcame multiple late-game deficits and saw five players score in double figures to beat Michigan 82-78 in double overtime on Senior Night.
Along with the 12-point deficit they made up in regulation, the Wildcats also overcame a six-point deficit with 16 seconds remaining in overtime thanks to Tre Demps' two huge threes. The redshirt junior finished 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
"That was an unbelievable college basketball game," coach Chris Collins said. "You don't get a chance to see games like that very often. The shot-making of both teams was incredible."
Alex Olah set a career high with 25 points and JerShon Cobb -- honored before the game along with fellow seniors Dave Sobolewski and Jeremiah Kreisberg -- added 14 points with three three-pointers.
"I think the leadership of the seniors [was] incredible tonight," Demps said. "Those guys refused to let us lose."
Michigan's reeled off a 12-0 run to take a 17-9 lead with 10:25 left in the first half. But off a timeout, Cobb sank a three-pointer in the corner to bring Northwestern within five. The Wolverines extended their lead to 10, but Scottie Lindsey hit a three at the top of the key to lessen the gap. The freshman guard added another trey two possessions later.
Lindsey's bid for a third three-pointer came up short, but his classmate Vic Law snatched the offensive rebound and converted on a contested layup, then hit the ensuing free throw to finish the three-point play. Then, with the `Cats trailing by five, Skelly fed a cutting Lindsey under the basket for an open layup.
A late three-pointer by Michigan's Aubrey Dawkins put the Wolverines up 34-27 heading into the break.
Coming off an eight-point first half, Lindsey's first major contribution to the second period came in the form of an emphatic block against Michigan's Andrew Dakich. He followed with a layup on the fast break, bringing the 'Cats back to within 10 after an early run by Michigan put them up by as many as 12.
Back-to-back Olah layups brought Northwestern back to within six, but Dawkins once again nailed a three-pointer, his third in three attempts, putting the Wolverines back up by nine. Northwestern responded strongly, however, with a beautiful pass by Sobolewski setting up an emphatic dunk by Law.
That play started a 6-0 run, capped off by Olah's layup after an offensive rebound by Cobb to bring Northwestern within three while forcing a Michigan timeout.
Olah continued to dominate offensively, spinning away from his defender to finish with an easy layup. Then, after a defensive stop, Cobb kept the possession alive with an offensive rebound, and after a missed Demps layup, Olah grabbed another offensive board and laid it in. The score capped off a 12-point comeback and gave the 'Cats their first lead of the game.
But the Wolverines responded with a 7-0 run, punctuated by Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman's buzzer-beating three-pointer. Cobb responded with a three-pointer of his own, bringing Northwestern back within three points. The senior guard then snatched an offensive rebound on the next possession and drew a shooting foul.
On the fast break, McIntosh found Cobb in the corner, and the senior swished his third three-pointer in four attempts to bring Northwestern within one. He continued his special Senior Night on the next possession with a put-back layup off Olah's missed jumper.
Collins couldn't talk enough about his senior guard's performance.
"JerShon hit some big baskets. His veteran leadship on the floor, I thought was key," Collins said. "When we're playing our zone, they present a lot of problems because they have shooters and they're cutting. I thought JerShon at the back line, the way he was talking and came up with some big buckets, hit a couple big threes when we needed them - look, I could go on and on."
Cobb's crucial play brought the 'Cats within one with 34 second left, but the Wolverines had a chance to put the game away with a three-point lead and 15 seconds left.
Only they didn't. Zak Irvin missed his first one-and-one free throw, and Demps nailed a long contested three-pointer to tie the game at 59.
In overtime, Demps picked up right where he left off, blowing past his man at the top of the key and driving in for two more points. McIntosh then found Law wide open in the corner for his first three-pointer of the game, putting Northwestern ahead by five.
Irvin responded with a three, but Demps drew a foul on the other end and sunk the second one to give the 'Cats a 65-62 lead with 2:02 left.
Albrecht's long three on the other end once again leveled the score, and Dawkins followed with his fourth trey of the night to make it 68-65 in favor of the Wolverines. Albrecht then knocked down three free throws - setting up Tre Demps to do what Tre Demps does.
The redshirt junior drilled a three-pointer on the fast break with nine seconds left, then, after a turnover by Albrecht, improbably hit another one - contested, from the same side - to send the game to a second overtime. It would be Michigan's final lead of the night.
In contrast to the first overtime period, Northwestern controlled the second OT.
Olah started it with a three-pointer, and the 'Cats never let Michigan back in. Irvin's second three brought the Wolverines within a point with 1:36 left, but Law responded with a corner three-pointer on the other end. McIntosh then hit both of his free throws to seal the game.
The Wildcats close the regular season this Saturday when they travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
••••••
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!