North Cook News

'Cats Best Brown to Close Non-Conference Play

Chase Audige reached 1,000 career points and led Northwestern with 24 points in a 63-58 win over Brown on Thursday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena. 

The Wildcats (10-2) had three players score in double figures, led by Audige. Boo Buie tacked on 15 points and four assists and Ty Berry also helped out with 12 points, five boards and three steals.

Matthew Nicholson's 11 boards led Northwestern and marked a career-high for the Clarkston, Michigan native. The Wildcats scored nine second chance points off of 14 offensive rebounds.

NU forced 17 Brown turnovers in Thursday's game, marking the fourth consecutive game forcing 15 or more turnovers for the 'Cats.

How It Happened

After falling behind 17-13, Northwestern went on an 8-0 run with 10:35 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Audige, to take a 21-17 lead. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the first half, with Brown taking a 31-30 lead into the break.

After intermission, Northwestern went on a quick 6-0 run to seize a 39-34 lead with 13:40 to go in the contest. The Wildcats held onto that lead for the rest of the game and led by as many as 11 points with 9:23 to play. 

Game Notes

» Chase Audige, Boo Buie, and Ty Berry combined to score 51 of Northwestern's 63 points.

» The Northwestern defense forced 17 turnovers.

» Northwestern held its opponent under 60 points for the ninth time in twelve games this season, including in four-straight games.

» The 'Cats have already passed their total of opponent games under 60 points from each of the past three seasons.

» Northwestern has not held four-straight opponents under 60 points since doing so against Butler, UC Riverside, Florida State, and DePaul in the 2008-09 season.

» The 'Cats shot 19-of-21 (90.4%) from the free throw line, their highest percentage in a game (min. 15 attempts) since converting 23-of-24 against St. Peter's on Nov. 13, 2017.

» Chase Audige scored a game-high 24 points, leading Northwestern in scoring for the third-straight game.

    » Audige knocked down a career-high 10 free throws on 10 attempts.

    » Audige led the 'Cats with 10 first half points.

    » Audige scored 20+ points for the third time this season.

    » Audige scored his 1,000th career point on a stepback jumper with 16:22 remaining in the second half.

» Thursday's contest marked the eighth consecutive double digit output for Audige.

Northwestern dives into Big Ten play for the remainder of the regular season at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday, January 1, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. CT when it takes on Ohio State. Tickets can be purchased here.

Original source can be found here