Drew Crawford has career night to propel Northwestern past UW
Just days since the Badgers righted the ship after a three-game skid, Wisconsin (4-4 Big Ten, 17-4 overall) lost an uncharacteristic game at the Kohl Center to Northwestern, a team it beat in blowout fashion earlier in the season.
UW struggled offensively throughout the contest, and the Wildcats took advantage while strolling to a 65-56 victory.
Wisconsin came out hot following back-to-back three point conversions by senior guard Ben Brust and junior guard Traevon Jackson, but immediately cooled down after. The combined six points by Brust and Jackson would be the only scores for Wisconsin until the 11:03 mark in the first half.
Northwestern took advantage of Wisconsin’s slow start and took their first lead of the game midway through the first half with a 10-9 advantage.
The low scoring affair would continue through the half, exacerbated by the fact neither team could get into a rhythm. Much of this can be attested to the Badgers’ poor shooting, cashing in just 25 percent from the field and 27 percent from the 3-point line.
“I think that they definitely do a really good job of squeezing driving lanes and making you kick it out,” Brust said of Northwestern. “I mean, we had open shots and we didn’t knock them down.”
The score at halftime was 23-22 in slight favor of the Badgers, after what was a poor offensive showing by both teams.
The clear difference in the half was the Wildcats’ ability to score near the basket. They tallied 18 points in the paint, while Wisconsin only had four.
The Wildcats go-to man, senior guard Drew Crawford, was the leading scorer of the game entering halftime with 10 points. Brust led the way for Wisconsin with eight points, including two 3-pointers.
The defensive battle would continue in the second half, and again the Badgers managed to reach the free throw line with frequency. By the 12:16 mark in the second half, UW was already in bonus.
Northwestern eventually turned the tables and paved their way to a decent lead midway through the half, as they pushed ahead 42-35, thanks to consecutive 3-point shots.
The Wildcats wouldn’t stop their push there, either. Following a 3-pointer by big man Alex Olah, they took an unprecedented 12-point lead that carried them late into the half.
Crawford was a huge factor in Northwestern’s second-half push. The senior finished with 30 points and eight rebounds, including a series of shots late in the game.
“To get 30 points and eight rebounds and step up and make big free throws at the end when they were making a run on us, [Crawford] was the man,” Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said.
Following several forced turnovers by Wisconsin’s press, the Badgers were able to shorten their deficit to only nine points with 2:13 to play.
Wisconsin would not give up. With 41 seconds to play, freshman forward Nigel Hayes made his way to the free throw line down only seven. Hayes was able to convert on one of his two free throws, and narrowed the lead to six points and a two-possession game.
The small shimmer of hope for the Badgers was lost following a turnover and a pair of free throws by the Wildcats, who would hold on for the win.
The Badgers shot only 26.3 percent on the night, well below what they are accustomed to.
“We just got to stay confident. We know we can put the ball in the hoop, but tonight we didn’t,” senior guard Josh Gasser said.
