The Sports Xchange
Dec 30, 2017
After falling behind by seven points early in the second half, Northwestern rallied to earn a 95-73 victory over Brown on Saturday afternoon at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
The Wildcats' final tune-up before the resumption of Big Ten play was not without its issues. Senior point guard Bryant McIntosh missed the final 17 minutes after hitting his knee on the floor and requiring assistance to get to the locker room.
Junior center Dererk Pardon paced Northwestern (10-5) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Senior swingman Scottie Lindsey posted 14 points, McIntosh added 13 points and freshman guard Anthony Gaines contributed a career-high-tying 11 points.
Redshirt junior forward Vic Law returned to Northwestern's lineup after missing two games with concussion-related issues, but foul trouble limited him to 17 minutes. He finished with 11 points thanks to a late flurry.
Brown (6-6) received 26 points from sophomore guard Brandon Anderson and 22 points from freshman guard Desmond Cambridge. They combined to hit six of the Bears' eight 3-pointers.
Northwestern led by as many as nine points in the first half, but Brown pulled within 42-37 by halftime as Lindsey and Law spent much of the first half on the bench with foul trouble.
The Bears reeled off a 13-2 run early in the second half to seize a 55-48 lead -- their first advantage since the opening four minutes -- that coincided with McIntosh heading to the locker room after hurting his knee.
Cambridge started the spree with a 3-pointer and followed with three free throws after getting fouled beyond the arc while Anderson contributed a layup and a 3-pointer.
As quickly as Brown seized the lead, Northwestern grabbed it back with a 16-2 run. Lightly used junior guard Jordan Ash, who borrowed Law's spot in the starting lineup while he was hurt, came off the bench to cash in a 3-pointer and throw down a dunk to give the Wildcats a 58-57 edge with 12:22 to play. Northwestern never trailed again.