Men’s Hoops: ‘Moore’ than NU could hope for
By Matt Forman
After Northwestern’s 16-point victory over UC Riverside on Monday, coach Bill Carmody wished for his team to be tied or trailing at halftime in a game to see how it responded.
On Wednesday, Carmody got exactly what he was hoping for. NU went into halftime down three points to an undefeated Florida State.
“I was pretty disappointed heading into halftime,” Carmody said. “I was not pleased at all.”
In the second half, Carmody got more than he ever could have hoped for.
The Wildcats (5-1) responded with arguably the best 20 minutes of basketball during Carmody’s eight seasons in Evanston and topped the Seminoles 73-59.
It all started with the energizing play of the team’s elder statesman –- senior guard Craig Moore.
With less than 17 minutes remaining in the second half and Florida State (7-1) ahead 42-38, forward Jordan Demersy drove baseline and released a floating jump shot. En route to the basket, Demersy ran into Moore,
who drew a charge. On the ensuing possession, Moore hit a 3-point shot from the right wing behind a screen set up by John Shurna.
After Florida State’s in-bounds pass, Moore applied pressure near half court and drew an offensive foul on Toney Douglas as he fell into the scorer’s table.
As the official signaled the foul call, Moore stood up, pounded his chest and released a primal scream, letting his emotions show and bringing 3,500 fans at Welsh-Ryan Arena to their feet.
“When things are going good, you feel like that’s a big play in the game, maybe a turning point in the game,” Moore said of his celebration. “You just want to get the most momentum out of every play. I don’t know if it did that, but I’d do it again if I had to.”
Two possessions later, junior forward Kevin Coble (15 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) stripped Luke Loucks of the ball as he cut through the lane, and threw a full-court pass to sophomore Ivan Peljusic. The 6-foot-8 forward accepted the pass, took two steps and emphatically dunked the ball.
“I didn’t even know who passed me the ball,” Peljusic said. “I was just trying to get as high as I could and dunk that.”
Moore, who finished with 20 points and five rebounds, ignited the Cats with his all-around play on a 20-2 second half charge that built their lead to 12 points.
NU went into halftime trailing by three points largely because of their inability to connect on free throws. The Cats went 7-of-14 from the charity stripe in the first half and shot only 33 percent from the
floor.
But it was the defense and rebounding that kept NU in the game in the first half. Florida State shot one of eight from long distance and lost the rebounding battle by five in the opening period.
After the disappointing first half, Carmody gave what Peljusic described as a “monologue.”
“He said just about every curse word you can think of,” Moore said of Carmody’s halftime tirade.
Carmody said his halftime speech was about the human element of the game, not about fundamentals or technique. Whatever Carmody said, it worked. NU’s biggest lead of the second half stretched to 16 points, but the team was not able to cruise to an easy victory.
Florida State managed to cut NU’s lead to seven with 7:18 remaining in the contest, but the Cats responded once again.
Peljusic stole an attempted pass into the post, one of the Cats’ 22 forced turnovers, and pushed the ball down the court. Sophomore guard Michael Thompson perfectly placed a one-handed bounce pass to junior
Jeff Ryan, who cut backdoor and easily converted on the layup.
After the teams traded points over their next several possessions, NU found itself ahead by 12 with just more than two minutes to play. The Cats ran the shot clock down within 10 seconds, and Coble drove baseline. As the junior reached the basket, he made a nifty move and put a reverse layup in for two points.
The Seminoles took quick 3-point shots in a frantic effort to lessen the lead and continued to foul the Cats on their final possessions, but to no avail. With the clock winding down in the final seconds, Thompson
dribbled the ball to half court to a standing ovation.
“It was surreal,” Coble said of the atmosphere.
The victory was certainly one that Carmody will remember. It was his 200th career win on the day before his 57th birthday.
The Cats’ win came against the best team they have faced all season. It doesn’t get any easier when NU faces DePaul (4-1) on Saturday. Still, the 14-point victory proved something to fans and players alike.
“It was a first time measuring stick, see where we’re at,” Moore said. “You’ve got to bring everything you’ve got. And just try to prove to yourself that you can play with the best.”
matthewforman2007@u.northwestern.edu
