Northwestern advances past Florida Atlantic with overtime win

NEW YORK — Trailing by two, with 30 seconds left in regulation, the Wildcats needed an answer.

So, they ran a play for their guy — Boo Buie, of course.

With the ball in his hands, Brooks Barnhizer looked to his left to see Buie being denied. Instead of forcing it into his teammates hands, he shot faked and drove hard to his left and toward the rim before laying it in.

Barnhizer's layup tied the game at 58 apiece.

Overtime proved to be all Northwestern needed. More specifically, all grad transfer Ryan Langborg needed. The Wildcats scored 19 points while holding FAU to just seven, en route to an 77-65 overtime win. Langborg poured in 12 points in extra time.

A lid sat atop each basket during the first half.

At least, that's what appeared to be true, as both teams combined for 39 points in the 20 minutes. Northwestern shot 21.2% from the field and 16.7% from three in the first half, while the Owls went 33.3% and 11.1% from deep. The lowest-scoring half in NCAA Tournament history during the shot-clock era was set in 2007 when UCLA and Indiana scored a combined 33 first-half points.

In the second half, the game opened up. Boo Buie caught fire, starting with a three less than 30 seconds in before ripping off 12 more. He finished with 22 points and four assists.

Beyond the poor shooting performance in the opening half, both teams combined for 18 turnovers, with FAU accounting for 12 of them. Barnhizer was responsible for keeping the Wildcats afloat while they struggled to find their shot. He had seven points and four rebounds in the first half and finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Ryan Langborg had a game-high 27 points, 12 of which he scored in overtime.

Goldin's 67% field-goal percentage is third in the nation. The Wildcats held him to three points in the first half. He finished with a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Johnell Davis added 18 points and senior guard Brandon Weatherspoon contributed 10 points.

Coming into Friday's game, Buie's teammates and coach, Chris Collins, talked at length about wanting to send him out right now. Their win puts off his inevitable last game for one more day.

The Wildcats' next game is on Sunday, when they will face the winner of No. 1 seeded UConn and No. 16 seeded Stetson.