Unbeaten Northwestern hammers MVSU 92-67
Northwestern enjoyed a nice little warmup Friday night, but things are about to get a whole lot more difficult.
Nick Fruendt scored 21 points as the unbeaten Wildcats rode a hot first half to a 92-67 rout of Mississippi Valley State.
“It was fun,” Fruendt said. “They were in a zone (defense), so we were just moving and finding open spots. Coach has been saying all this year, just let them go.”
Drew Crawford hit four 3-pointers and scored all 14 of his points as the Wildcats (7-0) rolled up 59 points before the break, the most Northwestern has scored in a half in coach Bill Carmody’s 12 seasons.
“I was just really happy at halftime, as you’d expect,” Carmody said. “We had 22 baskets, with 21 assists. We like that.”
The Wildcats tied the school record for 3-pointers in a game, hitting 20. They also made 20 against North Carolina AT&T on Dec. 13, 2009.
Despite its perfect start, Northwestern entered the game shooting just under 34 percent from beyond the arc this season, so Carmody was pleased to see his shooters find a rhythm with No. 7 Baylor visiting on Sunday.
“We haven’t shot the ball that well this year, but I know we’re a good shooting team, and that’s going to come,” Carmody said.
Northwestern’s lead peaked at 41 in the first half and reached 43 in the second before Mississippi Valley State closed the gap down the stretch.
The game was lopsided in every respect. Northwestern shot 69 percent in the first half and was 20-for-39 from 3-point range for the night.
The Wildcats’ bench outscored MVSU’s reserves 40-14.
Northwestern’s John Shurna, whose 21.8-point scoring average entering the game was the highest of any player in a BCS conference, hit three first-half 3-pointers but didn’t play in the second half and finished with nine points.
“I just think we’re playing at a nice level now,” Carmody said. “We were able to play a lot of different guys. Guys that play a lot got some rest.”
Reggie Hearn added 15 points and Luka Mirkovic 11 for Northwestern. Alex Marcotullio had seven assists.
“Every team we play is against a Division I team,” Hearn said. “Every team can play. If we’re not prepared, it can bite us in the butt.”
Paul Crosby led Mississippi Valley State (1-7) with 23 points.
Northwestern enjoyed runs of 14 and 19 points in the first half and hit 12 of 19 shots from 3-point range. Things were so bad for the Delta Devils that leading scorer Terrence Joyner didn’t score until hitting a 3-pointer with 2:10 to go in the half. By that time, the Wildcats led by 36.
Northwestern’s highest-scoring half under Carmody had been 55 points, which the Wildcats accomplished twice, most recently on Jan. 20 against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
Carmody called off the dogs in the second half, starting a lineup absent four starters. Only junior guard Hearn started both halves. Leading scorers Crawford and Shurna did not appear after halftime.
In the second half, the Northwestern bench continued the 3-point barrage.
Fruendt buried one with a minute left, tying the school mark.
In just the third game between the schools, Northwestern avenged a loss to Mississippi Valley State early in the Carmody era. The Delta Devils knocked off the Wildcats 49-47 on Dec. 28, 2003, in El Paso, Texas.
Friday’s game wasn’t nearly so dramatic, but it was a nice tuneup for Northwestern’s next game against powerful Baylor, a key contest for a team seeking its first NCAA tournament bid.
“(Baylor is) a big team,” Carmody said. “Well coached. But we’ve played some big teams. I think we’ll be ready to go.
“It’s great that we’re playing at home. We’re playing pretty well, they’re playing pretty well. Should be a nice afternoon.”
The Bears will be the highest-ranked nonconference opponent Northwestern has played since 1989.
“It’s the biggest nonconference game in my four years here,” Fruendt said. “We’ll go out there and give it all we’ve got.”