Northwestern winter sports continue to stay active through the hearts of their seasons. Brendan Preisman has the Sports Report.
Photo by nusports.com.
Hi, I’m Brendan Preisman. Here’s your NU Sports report for this week.
BASKETBALL
Northwestern men’s basketball continues to tear through January. Over the last week, the team won both its games to move to 15-5 overall and 6-3 in conference play. Against tenth-ranked Illinois last Wednesday, the Wildcats won a thrilling overtime victory, 96-91. Star guard Boo Buie scored 29 points, and co-star Brooks Barnhizer added 23. The Wildcats shot 51% from the field and 61% from three-point range as a team, and that hot shooting propelled them to their best scoring total of the year. When the dust settled, the Wildcats had felled a top-10 team for the second time this season.
The good times only continued against Ohio State. The Wildcats smothered the Buckeyes and held them to just 58 points, pulling away for an easy 83-58 victory. Buie again was the offensive star, scoring 19 points and chipping in 5 assists, but he didn’t do it alone. Five other Wildcats also had 10 or more points. Buie earned his second Big Ten conference player of the week award thanks to his strong showings. He has also been announced as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s best point guard. Northwestern is looking to keep the hot streak going right now in a road affair against 2nd-ranked Purdue.
Unfortunately, times have been much tougher for the women’s team. After last week, their losing streak now stands at four games, and their next matchup is against third-ranked Iowa. The team lost at home to Penn State, 65-76, on Thursday, and on the road against Indiana 100-59. The team has struggled defensively all season, and Big Ten play has only exacerbated those problems. On the bright side, the team’s rebounding prowess has improved — they’ve grabbed 30 or more rebounds in six of their last seven contests.
FENCING
The Wildcats raced through the DeCicco Duals this weekend. They faced off against Detroit Mercy, Denison, Cleveland State, #2 Notre Dame, Wayne State, and Lawrence. The team went a perfect 6-0 overall and 17-1 across all weapons. Against the Fighting Irish, who hosted the event, the Wildcats took epee and saber by scores of 6-3 and 5-4, respectively. The 15-12 win was the second win Northwestern achieved over Notre Dame in the last 2 seasons. Northwestern’s saber squad was excellent all day, with six players all finishing the Duals with undefeated records. The squad was led by Megumi Oishi, who finished 8-0, and Amy Lu and Sky Miller, who both went 7-0. Against the non-Notre Dame opponents, the Wildcats were absolutely dominant. In each of the other five matches, the Wildcats won at least 20 individual matchups while holding their opponents to under seven individual wins. They’ll be back in action this weekend when they host the Northwestern Duals in Ryan Fieldhouse, taking on six ranked opponents.
That concludes your NU Sports report for this week. For more information about upcoming games, as well as how you can watch the Wildcats live, visit www.nusports.com.
I’m Brendan Preisman, WNUR News.
