EVANSTON, Ill. – Boo Buie’s floater in the closing seconds of regulation saw Northwestern hold off a furious rally from No. 14 Indiana as the Wildcats picked up a thrilling 64-62 victory on Wednesday evening inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. The win is Northwestern’s fourth over a ranked opponent in 2022-23, the most in a single season in program history.
HOW ‘BOUT THEM CATS?!?
For the first time ever, Northwestern has won four games against ranked opponents. pic.twitter.com/YEEQIVN7qa
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) February 16, 2023
Buie led the ‘Cats (19-7, 10-5 B1G), who now sit in sole possession of second place in the Big Ten Conference standings, with 21 points in addition to six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Chase Audige added 14 poings, while Robbie Beran rounded out a trio of Wildcats to score in double figures with 12 points.
Northwestern’s tenacious defense was again on full display before another raucous home crowd, as the Wildcats forced 13 Hoosier turnovers. Ty Berry closed the night with a pair of steals.
How It Happened
With Indiana holding on to a slim 12-11 lead, Northwestern stepped on the gas. Back-to-back Audige treys sparked a 14-0 Wildcat run that vaulted the upset-minded hosts in front, 25-12, with 7:34 remaining in the first half. The ‘Cats continued to build on that advantage as the half wore on, with a pair of Brooks Barnhizer makes at the free throw line staking Northwestern to its largest lead of the night, 39-18, as Wildcats ultimately raced into the halftime locker room with a 39-20 advantage.
Following another Audige trey that reestablished a 20-point margin, 42-22, in the opening seconds of the second stanza, Indiana began to chip away. Two Trayce Jackson-Davis free throws at the 12:42 mark trimmed the gap back into single digits, 47-38. After seeing the Hoosiers pull within six, 53-47, Berry connected on a three that stretched the lead back out to nine, 56-47, with 7:47 remaining.
With just 44 seconds remaining, Buie converted in the paint to put the ‘Cats up four, 62-58. Indiana refused to go away quietly, knotting the game up at 62-62 on another Jackson-Davis bucket with only 30 seconds remaining that set the stage for an unforgettable ending.
With time winding down, Buie…
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