CANCÚN, Mexico – Northwestern held No. 13 Auburn to 43 points, including just 19 in the first half, but fell 43-42 to the Tigers (6-0) in the title game of the Cancun Challenge.
Chase Audige led the Wildcats (5-1) with 10 points, two steals and three blocks. Boo Buie added six points and two steals and Matthew Nicholson chipped in as well with seven points and two blocks off of the bench.
Northwestern protected the rim well, coming away with eight blocks. Audige’s three rejections led the way individually for the Wildcats.
How It Happened
After falling behind 17-10 early, Northwestern battled back with a 9-2 run with 4:25 left in the first half to tie the game at 19 going into halftime. Northwestern took advantage of eight Auburn turnovers in the period, and scoring six points of those turnovers.
After the break, Northwestern grabbed a 26-25 lead before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by a Ty Berry three, to stretch its lead to 31-25 with 12:02 to go. Auburn outscored the Wildcats 18-11 the rest of the way to escape with the 43-42 victory.
Game Notes
» Northwestern held #13 Auburn to 43 points, the fewest points scored by a ranked NU opponent since the ‘Cats held No. 23 Illinois to 43 points in January 2014.
» 43 points is the lowest total by an Auburn team since November 2014.
» Auburn’s 26.0% shooting percentage is the lowest allowed by Northwestern against a ranked opponent in the Chris Collins era (2013-present).
» It is Auburn’s lowest shooting percentage since shooting 25.5% against Florida on Jan. 18, 2020.
» Northwestern’s first 12 points came from six different scorers (Chase Audige, Boo Buie, Matthew Nicholson, Tydus Verhoeven, Robbie Beran, and Ty Berry)
» Northwestern held Auburn (19 points) under 20 points for the first time in the first half since Clemson did so in 2018 (19).
» It is the second time this season that the Wildcats have held an opponent under 20 points in a half, doing so against Northern Illinois as well.
» The last time Northwestern held a ranked team to 20 or less points in a half was against No. 20 Michigan in 2018.
» 11 of Northwestern’s 19 first half points came on free throws.
» Audige tied his career-high with three blocks in the first half.
» Robbie Beran led the…
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