Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Michigan 67, Northwestern 55
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Illinois
Officials: # Bo Boroski, # Tim Clougherty, # John Higgins
Attendance: 8117

NO. 13 MICHIGAN 67, NORTHWESTERN 55 (OT): Michigan used a flurry of 3-pointers to deal Northwestern an overtime loss in a game the hosts absolutely had to have.

Trey Burke finished with a game-high 19 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 14 and Stu Douglass added 12 points and five assists for the Wolverines (21-7, 11-4 Big Ten), who pulled within a half-game of first-place Michigan State in the Big Ten standings with three to play.

Burke, Zack Novak and Douglass each hit a 3-pointer in overtime, as the Wolverines opened the extra session with a 9-0 run. Michigan attempted a season-high 38 3-pointers and converted 14 of them — meaning nearly two-thirds of their overall points came from beyond the arc.

The loss was Northwestern’s (16-11, 6-9) third in its last four games and dropped them to eighth in the Big Ten standings, a half-game behind Iowa. The Wildcats, who have never advanced to the NCAA Tournament, were in desperate need of a marquee win to improve their resume.

Instead, they fell to 1-6 against teams ranked in the Top 25.

John Shurna, who became Northwestern’s all-time leading scorer in Sunday’s 64-53 victory over Minnesota, finished with a team-high 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting. Davide Curletti had 12 points and Reggie Hearn added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Northwestern took a 47-43 lead on Shurna’s jumper with 2:44 left, but Michigan responded with a pair of 3-pointers — one by Burke and another by Hardaway Jr. — to tie the score at 49 a minute later.

Both teams came up empty on their final possessions of regulation.

Michigan led 20-13 midway through the first half, but the Wildcats closed on an 18-4 run to take a 31-24 advantage at halftime.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Eighteen of Michigan’s 24 first-half points came on 3-pointers … The Wolverines’ final three games are against unranked opponents … The Wildcats lost their sixth straight overtime game.
Top Game Performances
 
Michigan   Northwestern
Trey Burke 19 Scoring John Shurna 14
Stu Douglass 5 Assists Alex Marcotullio 3
Jordan Morgan 7 Rebounds Reggie Hearn 11
Tim Hardaway, Jr. 4 Free Throws Made Davide Curletti 4
Trey Burke 2 Steals Davide Curletti 2
Tim Hardaway, Jr. 3 Blocks Davide Curletti 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Michigan 67 37.5 14-38 11-18 15 30 6 4 6
Northwestern 55 41.2 3-16 10-14 11 33 4 3 14