Memorable night for Shurna, Wildcats

For those leaving Welsh-Ryan Arena late Wednesday night, you have to wonder what their lasting memory will be of the final 20 minutes of Northwestern's thrilling 72-69 win over Ohio State, the program's first in the series since 1998.

Was it when Michael "Juice" Thompson launched a 3-pointer from in front of the Wildcats' bench, battled through some big trees in the lane to track down the ball on the other side, eventually saving it from going out and leading to a pair of free throws by Kevin Coble to cap a 16-3 run and give the Wildcats the lead and the momentum?

Or how about Craig Moore hitting clutch 3-pointer after 3-pointer down the stretch to give the Cats' some much needed breathing room against the never-say-die Buckeyes?

For that matter, how about Ohio State's Jon Diebler (28 points), who always seemed to have an answer, finishing 8 of 10 from beyond the arc?

How about some of Coble's acrobatic off-balance shots or the surprise - and key - 7 points from backup center Kyle Rowley?

No, after all the heroics, the lasting memory most will have is of freshman John Shurna lying on his back in front of the Cats' bench with a big smile on his face after nailing the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.

"Those are the moments you live for," said Shurna, still smiling an hour later. "It's a great feeling. We've been neck and neck in these Big Ten games lately."

"He comes right off the bench and he's putting it up," Coble said of Shurna. "I didn't think he would get it off, but he came in and banged it. To have him hit that shot is huge for us."

Not too bad for a guy who could hardly drag himself to the gym and who was hooked up to an IV just minutes before the game.

"He was sick (Tuesday) night and all day (Wednesday)," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said of Shurna. "I didn't think he'd play at game time. He was sick for shootaround. Not that many guys play well when they're sick."

Wednesday's result proved just the tonic for the ailing Wildcats, who came into the game losers of three straight by a total of 9 points.

"I'm really happy for our guys. They've been suffering for a week after the losses," Carmody said. "Down 40-28 at halftime, it was really going against us. It's just great for our guys to come back. A very good win for us."

Coble paced the Cats (14-10, 5-8 Big Ten) with 26 points and Moore added 23. A few nights after shooting a rancid 4-for-17 from 3-point land against Michigan, Northwestern buried that memory by shooting 13-for-25 from long range, including 7 of 13 down the stretch.

"Hats off to Northwestern, they made huge shots, huge plays," said Buckeyes coach Thad Matta, now 7-1 against the Wildcats.

"The little plays were huge for us tonight," Coble said. "This was how the last couple of games should have been."