Cats’ Corner: Your source for NU basketball

Northwestern’s lethargy on offense finally came back to bite them. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has closed a 22-point deficit to 10 points with about seven minutes to play.

The Wildcats managed to keep the Islanders from getting any closer and held on to win 66-48.

NU fell into the trap of taking quick shots and staying on the perimeter. The Islanders took advantage of turnovers too when the Cats drive inside. It honestly feels like NU and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi started playing pick-up basketball with players trying to get their own shots rather than work through the system.

The defense struggled to get stops as the offense has completely flatlined. After a timeout with about seven minutes left, energy-provider John Shurna was sent back into the game.

Shurna seems to be the only one who can create offense as the game gets uglier and uglier. But the Cats began to pull away again, taking a 16 point lead with 2:15 left. The Islanders just could not muster enough scoring to completely erase the deficit.

There is no let up on offense early in the second half as the Cats continue to get the ball deep into the post through their offense. The teams are going up and down as the lead hovers around 20. The Wildcats have eased up on the defensive pressure as individuals begin asserting themselves.

The teams are exchanging baskets as NU’s lead hovers around 20 points. Neither team has made any serious run in the early stages of the second half.

John Shurna has continued his strong play and Kevin Coble is starting to assert himself more to maintain a comfortable lead. Shurna has 13 points and 6 rebounds while Coble leads the team with 16 points.

Kyle Rowley has had a couple good looks right around the basket that he has been unable to finish. The freshman center was advised before a timeout to slow down by senior Craig Moore.

Rowley has been rushing offensively, especially around the basket. Rather than collecting himself and rising for a finish, he seems to want to get the ball up on the backboard and rim as quickly as possible. He has gotten in really deep in bad angles to do this. Rowley only has two points so far tonight.

The Islanders were shooting four of 11 from the field while the Cats have hit on 58 percent of their shots.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi though went on a 7-2 run with about three minutes to play that closed the lead to 12 points. The Islanders are starting to make shots after the struggles on offense. And it is not for a lack of trying on NU’s part.

Instead the Cats’ offense has become lethargic and perimeter oriented. They are taking quick shots early in the shot clock and letting the Islanders get out on the break. It is not boding well for NU as the lead tightens.

The Islanders then got a chance to meet John Shurna. Shurna came on strong in the last stages of the second half, hitting a three to end the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi run and then getting a steal at mid-court that set up a fast break for Michael Thompson and Craig Moore. The two found Shurna streaking to the basket and he hit a layup that put the lead back at 18 points at halftime.

NU leads 39-21 at the break.

The defense is winning this game again for the Wildcats. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is struggling with turnovers and breaking the press.

Coach Bill Carmody was not lying when he said he would continue to tinker with the defense and use the press. The Cats are pressing full court and trapping at the midcourt line and then falling back into a 2-3 zone. It has been pretty effective as NU went on an 18-4 run (which included a shot clock violation) to take a comfortable double-digit lead.

It was the Cats’ 3-point shooting that really seemed to calm the team down. Moore hit his record-setting three, but Coble has drained a few and it really helped keep the Cats in the game early and has helped them maintain a healthy lead — not to mention open up cutting and driving lanes that has led to such a high shooting percentage.

Those 3-pointers were created off of dribble penetration and the ample driving and cutting lanes the good shooting created. Those are not there anymore as the Islanders have tightened up their defense.

But it seems like the team is calming itself down and finding a way to get ahead and stay ahead.

Northwestern got off to a slow start, but the team has the Princeton offense working well. Craig Moore and Kevin Coble hit threes to pull the team into the lead. Some good passing from the perimeter to free back door cuts to the hoop have helped the Wildcats open up a 17-9 lead.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi got off to an early lead as it seemed NU would struggle again to make easy, close up shots. On the Cats’ first possession, Coble got to the rim on a pretty pass by Moore, but his layup was (unbelievably) short. Kyle Rowley also had a nice chance up close, but found himself too deep to make the layup.

It seems like NU is still unwilling to use their height around the basket. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi center Demond Watt got past Rowley easily and dunked it. It might be good for the Cats to start throwing some through the hoop with authority.

It is not a hard thing to do. Dunks can change momentum in games and they bring the crowd into the game. NU struggled to finish around the rim in previous outings. This might be the solution.

On a happier note, Craig Moore hit his second attempt from behind the arc and passed Vedran Vukusic as the school’s all-time leading 3-point shooter with 213 makes.

1. Northwestern must rebound tonight to win.

The Wildcats won the rebounding battle in their opener against Central Arkansas on Sunday. Tonight might be a tougher challenge. Despite fielding a small lineup, the Islander are averaging 40.5 rebounds per game in two outings. Chicago native Demond Watt is pulling down 9.5 rebounds per game this season.

For the first time in a while, NU has the bigger team. Center Kyle Rowley needs to be a bigger force on the boards and starting forward John Shurna needs to recover from a zero rebounding performance in Sunday’s game. If Kevin Coble leads the team in rebounding again tonight, the Cats might be in trouble.

2. The defense must continue to put pressure on the ball and on the perimeter.

With a bigger lineup in tonight’s game, the guards can be aggressive on the perimeter trying to force steals and turnovers. The press will set the tone and force Texas A&M-Corpus Christi into tough situations. The pressure worked in Sunday’s game as the Cats held the Bears to 25 percent shooting and just 39 points. NU needs a repeat of its stifling defensive performance to gain a similar result tonight.

3. Don’t overlook Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

The Cats have a history of losing to teams from non-major — or even non-mid major conferences — in the past. This is the kind of trap game after a strong opening effort that NU could lose if the team does not play its hardest.

If the Cats focus and play their game and dictate the tempo of the game on offense and defense, this should be an easy win.

Keep it here for updates from Welsh-Ryan Arena throughout tonight’s game.

NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS (1-0) vs. TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI ISLANDERS (1-1)

Place/Time: Welsh-Ryan Arena/Today, 7:00 PM
Last NU win vs. Texas A&M Corpus-Christi: Feb. 14, 2005 at Welsh-Ryan Arena, 59-51.

NU Player to Watch: John Shurna. After scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in an exhibition game against Robert Morris (Ill.) College, the freshman forward scored six points and did not have a rebound in the season opener against Central Arkansas.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Player to Watch: Justin Reynolds is the team’s top returning scorer and is aveaging 9.5 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game. He had eight points and five boards against Illinois on Sunday.

NU wins if: the Wildcats keep pressure on the Islanders defensively and dictate the pace of play by creating turnovers.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi wins if: the Islanders can crash the boards and force the Cats to pay more attention to rebounding than to their pressure defense.

AT THE BUZZER: Senior Craig Moore’s two 3-point makes in Sunday’s game tied him for the all-time lead in school history with Vedran Vukusic. Moore has made 212 3-point field goals in his career. Vukusic still leads Moore by 25 attempts in the school record book.

Daily prediction: NU 65, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 52

By Adam Fusfeld

Five minutes into Northwestern’s first opening game win since 2005, coach Bill Carmody made his first substitution of the season. Stuck in the midst of a sluggish 4-2 game, Carmody sent junior forward Jeff Ryan into the game to replace classmate Kevin Coble.

Ryan immediately stamped his mark on the game and recorded a blocked shot as well as a basket and the foul in his first few minutes of game action.

It was the energy the team needed to build an 18-point halftime lead and an 81-39 win over Central Arkansas on Sunday.

“That’s the job of a lot of guys off the bench,” Ryan said. “Just to come in, be a spark and have a lot of energy off the bench. I got myself in pretty good position on offense a few times and was able to get fouled and go to the line.”

The Wildcats (1-0) need to utilize this depth throughout the season, and Wednesday night when they host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1-1), to continue the defensive tenacity the team displayed against the Bears.

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