EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern could not overcome a tough first half and fell to Ohio State 73-57 at home on Sunday in the team's Big Ten home opener.
The Wildcats (10-3, 1-1 B1G) had three players score in double figures, led by Chase Audige, who had 16 points. Ty Berry tacked on 11 points and Boo Buie helped out with 10 points.
Matthew Nicholson pulled down 13 total rebounds with eight on the offensive glass. He also had two rejections.
Northwestern disrupted Ohio State's (10-3, 2-0 B1G) offense, coming away with five blocks. Nicholson led the way individually for the Wildcats with two rejections.
How It Happened
Northwestern fell behind 34-8 before closing the first half on a 9-1 run to cut the lead to 35-17 at the break.
Ohio State widened its lead after intermission, constructing a 63-42 advantage. Northwestern responded with a 7-0 run, finished off by Audige's jumper, to shrink the deficit to 63-49 with 3:48 to go in the contest. Ohio State responded and outscored the Wildcats the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 73-57. Northwestern shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting six shots from deep to score 18 of its 40 points.
Game Notes
» Northwestern found success from three point land, knocking down nine treys in the game.» The 'Cats held Ohio State without a field goal for the final 5:18 of the first half, and closed the stanza on a 9-1 run.
» NU outscored OSU 40-38 in the second half.
» The Wildcats grabbed 14 offensive rebounds compared to just 10 by OSU.
» Northwestern scored 40 points in the second half, the fifth half that the 'Cats have eclipsed 40 points this season.
» Northwestern cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Chase Audige led the Wildcats with 16 points.
» Northwestern got a game-high 13 rebounds from Matthew Nicholson.
The Wildcats return to action on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. CT at Welsh-Ryan Arena against Illinois on Big Ten Network.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.