A victory over Ohio State was there for the taking. Northwestern's basketball team simply refused to take it.
The Buckeyes committed eight turnovers and shot 2-for-6 from the foul line in the first half, but the best the Wildcats could do was come up with a late run for a 27-26 halftime lead before terrible shooting did them in during a 65-56 loss in Welsh-Ryan Arena Wednesday night.
Although Joey van Zegeren and Dererk Pardon have provided the Cats with production in the middle, the absence of Alex Olah was never more evident than it was against the Buckeyes. Ohio State kept added pressure on guards Bryant McIntosh and Tre Demps and there was little relief from the rest of their teammates. McIntosh collected 15 points and six assists, but he also threw the ball away five times. Demps (7 points) had his second straight abysmal game. After hitting just 4 of 16 shots in the loss to Maryland, the senior was 3-for-17 against the Buckeyes, including 1-for-8 beyond the three point arc.
"We have to find a way to get Tre going,'' says Wildcats head coach Chris Collins. "Not having a guy like Alex puts a lot of pressure on our two guards. Tre had a number of open looks and couldn't knock them down. All good scorers go through this. The best thing to do is forget about your shot and focus on other areas of your game. All of a sudden the shot comes back to you.
"We got no points from Sanjay Lumpkin and Scottie Lindsey and Aaron Falzon had eight, but he was 3-for-11. A lot of times Bryant and Tre were playing against two players. The other guys have to get better at driving the ball and loosening up the defense.''
More Collins on Demps
"This is the second game in a row Tre didn't have any assists. When he's scoring, he's getting assists. He's too fixated on his shooting now and it's my job to help him.
"By the end of the game, BMac was pressing because he knew Tre was pressing. He wound up having a couple of sloppy turnovers, but overall, I thought he did his part.''
Olah's stress injury
"I still don't have a timetable for his return, but he is getting better. He probably won't play Saturday (at Minnesota). Alex requires double teams and that really opens up the three-point line for us.''
Falling to 1-2 in the Big Ten
"We can't get discouraged, we just have to avoid extended losing streaks and stop the bleeding. We have the experience to handle this and I expect us to put everything we have into our next game. We were very confident tonight. It's going to take a blue collar effort at Minnesota because we'll be facing a team desperate for a win.''
Bryant McIntosh on the loss
"There are going to be a lot of what-ifs after this one. Good teams are going to make me work 94 feet with the ball and over time it's takes its toll. The ball was in my hands and I was pressing at the end.''
On the lack of scoring punch
"Guys just have to see their shots go down, it's a mental thing. Basketball is a repetitive thing and they just have to keep shooting.''
On the absence of Alex Olah
"Nothing against the job Joey or Dererk are doing, but we're talking about missing an All-Big Ten center. Tre and I are being asked to do a little more and teams are making us take the tough shots. I think over time, you will see me developing a better chemistry with Joey and Dererk.''
The Buckeyes committed eight turnovers and shot 2-for-6 from the foul line in the first half, but the best the Wildcats could do was come up with a late run for a 27-26 halftime lead before terrible shooting did them in during a 65-56 loss in Welsh-Ryan Arena Wednesday night.
Although Joey van Zegeren and Dererk Pardon have provided the Cats with production in the middle, the absence of Alex Olah was never more evident than it was against the Buckeyes. Ohio State kept added pressure on guards Bryant McIntosh and Tre Demps and there was little relief from the rest of their teammates. McIntosh collected 15 points and six assists, but he also threw the ball away five times. Demps (7 points) had his second straight abysmal game. After hitting just 4 of 16 shots in the loss to Maryland, the senior was 3-for-17 against the Buckeyes, including 1-for-8 beyond the three point arc.
"We have to find a way to get Tre going,'' says Wildcats head coach Chris Collins. "Not having a guy like Alex puts a lot of pressure on our two guards. Tre had a number of open looks and couldn't knock them down. All good scorers go through this. The best thing to do is forget about your shot and focus on other areas of your game. All of a sudden the shot comes back to you.
"We got no points from Sanjay Lumpkin and Scottie Lindsey and Aaron Falzon had eight, but he was 3-for-11. A lot of times Bryant and Tre were playing against two players. The other guys have to get better at driving the ball and loosening up the defense.''
More Collins on Demps
"This is the second game in a row Tre didn't have any assists. When he's scoring, he's getting assists. He's too fixated on his shooting now and it's my job to help him.
"By the end of the game, BMac was pressing because he knew Tre was pressing. He wound up having a couple of sloppy turnovers, but overall, I thought he did his part.''
Olah's stress injury
"I still don't have a timetable for his return, but he is getting better. He probably won't play Saturday (at Minnesota). Alex requires double teams and that really opens up the three-point line for us.''
Falling to 1-2 in the Big Ten
"We can't get discouraged, we just have to avoid extended losing streaks and stop the bleeding. We have the experience to handle this and I expect us to put everything we have into our next game. We were very confident tonight. It's going to take a blue collar effort at Minnesota because we'll be facing a team desperate for a win.''
Bryant McIntosh on the loss
"There are going to be a lot of what-ifs after this one. Good teams are going to make me work 94 feet with the ball and over time it's takes its toll. The ball was in my hands and I was pressing at the end.''
On the lack of scoring punch
"Guys just have to see their shots go down, it's a mental thing. Basketball is a repetitive thing and they just have to keep shooting.''
On the absence of Alex Olah
"Nothing against the job Joey or Dererk are doing, but we're talking about missing an All-Big Ten center. Tre and I are being asked to do a little more and teams are making us take the tough shots. I think over time, you will see me developing a better chemistry with Joey and Dererk.''
