Northwestern Rallies To Defeat W. Michigan 67-61
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Tre Demps scored 17 points and Northwestern beat Western Michigan 67-61 on Saturday afternoon.
Nathan Taphorn and Bryant McIntosh added 10 points apiece for the Wildcats, who rebounded from a loss to another MAC team, Central Michigan, on Wednesday.
Tucker Haymond scored 12 points and Connar Tava and David Brown added 11 apiece for the Broncos, who led by three at halftime.
Northwestern opened the second half on a 7-1 run to lead 32-29. The Wildcats took a 36-34 lead on Demps' layup and never trailed again.
The Wildcats took their biggest lead, 55-47, on Alex Olah's rebound basket with 3:52 remaining before Austin Richie made a 3. Olah picked up his fourth foul with 2:33 left with Northwestern ahead 55-50.
McIntosh hit a 3 with 2:04 left for a 58-51 lead. Taphorn hit two free throws with 1:16 left to extend the lead to 60-53.
Northwestern shot 43 percent from the field to Western Michigan's 39 percent. The Wildcats shot 30 percent from 3-point range while Western Michigan shot 39 percent.
Both teams struggled at the free-throw line, as Western Michigan shot 13 for 23 and Northwestern went 15 for 23.
Northwestern had lost four of five. The Wildcats lead the all-time series against the Broncos 23-5.
The Wildcats went ahead 43-36 after Broncos coach Steve Hawkins was called for a technical foul with 12:37 left. He took off his jacket but remained on the sideline. He was whistled for the technical after the Wildcats beat the shot clock on Gavin Skelly's layup.
Western Michigan led 28-25 at halftime after shooting 38 percent from the field to Northwestern's 36 percent. The Broncos went 6-for-14 from 3-point range while the Wildcats were 2 for 11. Brown led Western Michigan with eight points. Demps and Taphorn each had five points for Northwestern.
The Broncos made three 3s to jump out to an 11-2 lead. Northwestern went on a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 2 before Richie hit a 3 to keep the Broncos ahead.
Northwestern took its first lead (21-19) with 5:19 left before halftime after an 8-0 run. But Brown soon hit a 3 to give Western Michigan the lead back.
The Broncos entered the game shooting 41.6 percent from 3-point range, 16th in the nation.
Northwestern beat the Broncos 51-35 last season when Western Michigan scored 12 first-half points and shot 24 percent from the field.
TIPS-INS
Western Michigan: The Broncos were completing a seven-game road trip and have not played in Kalamazoo, Michigan, since Nov. 22. .Western Michigan has five players from Illinois. . Tava was named the MAC West Player of the Week on Dec. 15 after he scored 19 points in an 80-72 victory over Pacific.
Northwestern: Point guard Bryant McIntosh was named the Big Ten co-freshman of the week on Dec. 15 after he scored 15 points in 23 minutes in a 101-49 victory over Mississippi Valley State. He shared the honor with Maryland's Melo Trimble. . Before allowing 80 points to Central Michigan on Wednesday, the Wildcats had held their previous 15 opponents to under 70 points, dating back to Feb. 22.
UP NEXT
Western Michigan: Hosts Alabama A&M on Monday.
Northwestern: Hosts Illinois-Chicago on Monday.
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