Northwestern Tops La Salle, 82-74
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Bryant McIntosh scored 21 points and Scottie Lindsey added 20 to lead No. 20 Northwestern to an 82-74 win over La Salle in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday.
The Wildcats (3-1) advance to play Texas Tech in Sunday's championship. Northwestern has not won an in-season tournament since the 2013 South Padre Island Invitational.
Derek Pardon added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats. Aaron Falzon chipped in 11 points.
Northwestern made 12 of 21 3-point attempts and shot 56 percent from the field.
After suffering its first loss of the season to Creighton, 92-88 on Wednesday, Northwestern struggled early against the Explorers (3-1). Tied 13-13, the Wildcats loosened up with a 9-1 run that was capped by Lindsey's layup at 9:38 to make it 22-14.
Northwestern dominated inside and out in the first half on the way to a 46-24 lead.
B.J. Johnson led La Salle with 22 points.
BIG PICTURE
La Salle: The Explorers are in the middle of a three-game stretch against Power Five schools, and have played the second toughest non-league schedule in the Atlantic-10 over the last five years behind VCU, according to RPI rankings.
Northwestern: The Wildcats bounced back from a loss to Creighton, but likely need to beat Texas Tech to avoid falling out of the Top 25.
UP NEXT
La Salle plays Boston College before meeting its second ranked team of the season, No. 11 Miami, on Wednesday.
Northwestern returns home after the title game to host mid-major Sacred Heart, then closes the month at Georgia Tech.
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