Morning Box Score: Illinois, Northwestern Fall In Big Ten Contests
By Tim Bearden in News on Jan 29, 2012 3:30PM
Illinois put up a fight against the Gophers to take the game to overtime, but couldn't hold on. Brandon Paul led the surge for the Illini, who trailed by four at the half, scoring 22 of his 28 points after halftime to help send the game into overtime. Center Meyers Leonard scored 17 points and had 13 rebounds, but fouled Minnesota guard Austin Hollins with 4 seconds left giving him a three-point play, which was the game changer.
The loss to Purdue Saturday puts Northwestern at 2-6 in the Big Ten, dwindling their hopes of postseason prowess. Northwestern only trailed by four at the half and fought back to tie the game. But with only 12 seconds left, Purdue forward Robbie Hummel hit a baseline shot giving Purdue the lead. Drew Crawford led the Wildcats with 23 points, followed by Jon Shurna with 15. Shurna missed a 3-point buzzer beater to secure the game for Purdue. This is Northwestern's third straight loss.
Buffalo 74, Northern Illinois 59
It was another struggle for the Huskies as they lost to Buffalo Saturday after shooting just 28 percent from the field. Buffalo broke a 15-15 tie early in the first half with a 10-2 run and never looked back. The Bulls led by as many as 25 in the second half when Northern went on a run of their own, scoring 10 of the game's last 12 points, but couldn't close the gap. Abdel Nader was the only Huskie in double digits with 11 points.