Ice cold
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.-It’s tough enough to win a game on the road at raucous Assembly Hall. It’s almost impossible when you shoot less than 27 percent from the floor.
Northwestern’s shooting was as cold as the air outside in Bloomington as the Wildcats got blown out by Indiana, 66-46, for their third loss in four games.
It was a pair of ugly scoring droughts that buried Northwestern in this one.
The Wildcats missed nine straight shots and didn’t score for 7:37 in the first half to dig themselves an early 13-3 hole. Then, in the second half, they again missed nine straight, this time failing to score in 5:17 as the game got out of control. By the time that Vic Law hit a layup to break Northwestern’s prolonged spell, Indiana had scored 18 straight points to build a 53-28 advantage.
Whatever happened after that really didn’t matter.
Northwestern didn’t have a single player in double figures as Law and Isiah Brown led the team with 9 points each – and Brown’s points came in the last four minutes when the game was decided. It wasn’t just shooting that hamstrung the Wildcats’ offensive attack: they also turned the ball over 17 times, compared to just eight assists.
Indiana was led by Robert Johnson’s 17 points, which included five 3-pointers, and Josh Newkirk’s 12.
Here are our three pointers on a loss that dropped Northwestern’s record to 11-8 overall and 2-4 in the Big Ten:
It was another ugly start for Northwestern: Aaron Falzon hit a 3-pointer from the wing to open scoring at the 16:22 mark and break a scoreless tie that saw both teams combine for zero points, eight missed shots and four turnovers. That was it for Northwestern for a long time, however, as the team went into a deep freeze. The Wildcats didn’t score again for more than seven and a half minutes, when McIntosh drained a 3 from the same spot on the wing. In the interim the Wildcats missed nine straight shots and saw a 3-3 tie turn into a 13-3 deficit. Northwestern dug itself out of the hole by immediately going on an 8-0 run, but the Wildcats finished the half trailing 24-19 as they shot just 24 percent (6 for 25) from the floor and 27 percent (3 for 11) from beyond the arc. Vic Law and Dererk Pardon were a combined 4-for-5, while the rest of the team went 2-for-20. Fortunately, Indiana wasn’t much better, shooting just 30 percent (9 for 30) overall.
Scottie Lindsey had another game to forget: Northwestern’s three losses this month featured at least one glaring similarity: a horrendous shooting performance by Lindsey. Northwestern’s leading scorer was an abysmal 1-for-15 from the floor and finished with just two points. His only field goal of the game was a dunk as he went 0 for 7 from beyond the arc and turned the ball over a game-high four times. In the Wildcats’ three losses this month – to Nebraska, Penn State and Indiana – Lindsey has shot just 8 of 49 from the floor, for a blink-twice 16.3 shooting percentage. Head coach Chris Collins said that Lindsey took some shots he would like to have back, but many of his misses were on open shots that he normally makes. What will Collins do about Lindsey moving forward? “The last thing I’m going to do is tell him to stop shooting,” he said. The Wildcats certainly need his scoring as they make their way through rest of the Big Ten schedule. Bryant McIntosh, normally a killer against Indiana, the team he grew up rooting for, also had an off game, hitting just 2 of 8 shots and finishing with more turnovers (three) than assists (two).
The 2-3 zone kept Northwestern in the game: Collins credited Northwestern 2-3 zone defense for keeping his team within five points at the half and within striking distance into the second period. But eventually the Wildcats’ ineptitude on the offensive end did them in. The Wildcats played zone almost exclusively in the first half and well into the second, until Indiana got some “high-low action” going to exploit it. Northwestern also played zone against Minnesota in Wednesday’s 83-60 win. Collins likes what the defense gives his team and feels like it fits his personnel well. “It’s been a defense for us, our guys believe in it,” he said. “It allows us to get on the boards and maximize the potential with some of the lineups we’re playing.” Pardon seems to thrive in the zone, as he finished with game-highs of eight rebounds and three blocks to go along with eight points.