Despite a late second-half charge, Indiana men’s basketball fell 76-72 to Northwestern Sunday afternoon in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
With Wildcat senior guard Boo Buie — the fourth-highest scorer in the Big Ten — on the bench for the bulk of the first half with foul trouble, Indiana still couldn’t capitalize. Northwestern senior guard Ryan Langborg and sophomore forward Nick Martinelli combined for 20 points in the first half, sparking a 34-26 lead over Indiana at the break.
A trio of fouls assessed to Indiana sophomore forward Malik Reneau slightly limited his usage in the first half, and he and sophomore center Kel’el Ware were frequently beaten on the glass by Northwestern senior center Matthew Nicholson, who pulled down three offensive boards in the first 20 minutes.
After a somewhat sluggish start, Indiana appeared rejuvenated in the second half. The Hoosiers’ perimeter defense was stout, and Buie didn’t record his first field goal until over halfway through the period.
Senior guard Trey Galloway forged a strong connection with Ware, who slammed home a few alley-oop dunks and finished with a team-high 22 points. As the half wore on, though, the Wildcats started to come alive. Indiana pulled the score to 43-42 with a little under 13 minutes remaining, but Northwestern pushed its lead to 10 roughly three minutes later.
Due to Buie’s uncharacteristic struggles, Langborg continued to be a go-to option. The Princeton University transfer finished with a game-high 26 points on 7-of-15 shooting and 4-of-7 from deep, with a couple of his triples coming from wide-open looks.
In the absence of sixth-year senior Xavier Johnson — who missed his fourth consecutive game with an elbow injury — Indiana’s backcourt struggled mightily. Freshman guard Gabe Cupps showed promise, splashing two threes and scoring 8 points, but Galloway and senior guard Anthony Leal combined for just 7 points.
When Buie finally found his stroke, knocking down a pair of triples in the latter half of the period, Northwestern established a comfortable cushion and didn’t look back. Despite Indiana’s valiant comeback effort in the final four minutes, the Wildcats held on for the win.
With the loss, Indiana moved to 14-11 and 6-8 in conference play. Next, the Hoosiers stay at home and host Nebraska on Wednesday night. Tip is set for 8:30 p.m, and it will be televised on Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
