Penn State knocks off Northwestern to advance to Big Ten tournament semifinals
Northwestern’s Boo Buie shoots during the Wildcats’ overtime loss to Penn State in the Big Ten tournament at the United Center.
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By the second media timeout of Friday night’s Big Ten tournament quarterfinal between Northwestern and Penn State at the United Center, there still wasn’t much action.
The fan participants in a shooting challenge took center court as the players hit their benches, and in seconds they had a better shooting percentage than both teams.
The start wasn’t just slow, it progressed at a snail's pace, which carried into the second half. Neither team found an offensive rhythm until the final five minutes of regulation.
Ultimately, it would be the second game decided in overtime in nine days between the teams, with the Nittany Lions prevailing 67-65 to advance to the semifinals Saturday.
The 2-seed recognition for Northwestern was a bit misleading. Coach Chris Collins’ team was one loss away from being the ninth seed in the tournament, but a 65-53 win over Rutgers to end the regular season solidified its double-bye into the quarterfinals.
Northwestern shot 40.9% from the field this season and 31.8% on Friday, shooting 6-for-24 from three. More than halfway through the second half, Chase Audige, the Wildcats' second-leading scorer with 14.1 per game, had just two points. He finished with six points, four rebounds and two assists.
Boo Buie led the Wildcats with 16 points, and Brooks Barnhizer had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.