An eye-opening opener
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Coming off a school-record 24-wins and their first NCAA tournament appearance in school history last season, No. 19 Northwestern gave fans plenty of reason to be excited heading into the 2017-18 season. The Wildcats started the season off on a positive note with a 79-75 win over Loyola Maryland in the season-opener for both teams Friday night at Allstate Arena.
After being selected to the 10-member Preseason All-Big Ten Team, senior Scottie Lindsey didn't disappoint as he finished with a game-high 26 points, while adding a career-high nine rebounds. His fellow Preseason All-Big Ten Team member, senior Bryant McIntosh continued his climb up the program record books, moving by Rod Roberson for 14th in school history in career points. McIntosh finished the night with 16 points--moving his career total to 1,357--and is now just 11 points behind Jim Burns for 13th place. He also added a game-high seven assists along with four rebounds and a team-high three steals, including one with 16 seconds left to help seal the victory for the 'Cats.
Junior center Dererk Pardon was a force in the paint for much of the night, totaling 16 points along with seven rebounds and three blocks in the win. Junior Vic Law also stuffed the stat sheet in the win as he finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks of his own.
The Wildcats played lockdown defense in the first half, holding the Greyhounds to 24 points and just 8-of-30 shooting. Pardon and sophomore Barret Benson each added two blocks and four defensive rebounds in the period, while the 'Cats finished the half with seven total blocks as a team.
Northwestern held Loyola without a field goal for almost eight minutes midway through the half, during which the #B1GCats went on a 16-0 run to take the lead. Pardon had six points during the run while Lindsey added 10 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers to give Northwestern a 20-8 lead.
The Wildcats finished the half on an 11-3 run, capped off with an emphatic dunk by Lindsey to send Northwestern into the break with a 37-24 lead. Lindsey led all players with 14 points on 50.0-percent shooting in the half.
McIntosh kickstarted the Northwestern offense to start the second half, hitting back-to-back jumpers to give him 10 points on the night. However, Loyola rallied back in the second half thanks to a much improved 55.0-percent field goal percentage, including shooting 7-of-8 from behind the arc.
In the game's last five minutes, Lindsey finished with seven points, while McIntosh added four points along with a steal. McIntosh hit a pair of free throws in the game's final seconds to secure the victory.
With the win on Friday, Northwestern has now won its last 10 season-openers. Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back in action on Monday, Nov. 13, as they host Saint Peter's at Allstate Arena at 7 p.m.
Northwestern Notes vs. Loyola (Md.) – Nov. 10, 2017
- Northwestern now leads its all-time series with Loyola (Md.), 3-0
- Northwestern is 5-0 in season openers under Chris Collins.
- Friday's game opened a stretch of five games over a 10-day span to begin the season for the Wildcats.
- Scottie Lindsey opened the 2016-17 season by scoring in double figures in each of the team's first 20 games. He reached 10 points on Friday by the time eight minutes had passed in the contest.
- Lindsey finished with a game-high 26 points. It is the sixth 20-point game of his career.
- Northwestern recorded 12 blocked shots in the contest. The total ranks as a tie for the second-best single-game mark in school history. The school record is 15 achieved Jan. 12, 2017 at Rutgers.
- Lindsey recorded a career-high 9 rebounds in the game. His previous best was 8 against Iowa Jan. 15, 2017.
- With 16 points on Friday, Bryant McIntosh moved past Rod Roberson into 14th place on Northwestern's career scoring list. McIntosh now has 1,357 career points.
- McIntosh had 7 assists in the game, raising his nation-leading career total to 558.