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Wildcats Open Up Big Ten Tournament With Victory Over Michigan
CHICAGO (AP) - Mohamed Hachad scored 17 points, and T.J. Parker keyed a 12-0 second-half run and made three free throws in the final 8 seconds to lead Northwestern to a 58-56 win over Michigan on Thursday in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. Parker scored eight points during the Northwestern's run, which put the Wildcats (15-15) ahead 51-41 with 7:07 to go. The Wolverines (13-18) got within 55-53 with 1:08 remaining, but Dion Harris missed a chance to tie when he made one of two free throws with 9.9 seconds to go. Parker's free throws sealed the win for Northwestern. Parker finished with 15 points after beginning the game on the bench, breaking a string of 57 consecutive starts. Vedran Vukusic, who had scored a total of 48 points in Northwestern's two regular-season games against Michigan, scored only seven and the Wildcats got just 16 points from their front-court starters. Courtney Sims scored 25 points for Michigan, eight during the 12-4 run that got the Wolverines with two points late. Harris added 19. Northwestern moves on to the tournament quarterfinals Friday against No. 1 Illinois. The Wildcats would need to win that game to have any chance of playing in the NIT. The Wildcats trailed 26-20 at halftime and didn't take their first lead until Vukusic's 3-pointer 4 minutes into the second half made it 32-30. The lead changed hands five times before Parker tied the game 41-41 with 9:58 to go. Michigan turned the ball over its next three trips down the court and Northwestern converted all into points. Three more misses by Michigan and Northwestern was up 51-41. Northwestern committed turnovers on three of its first six trips down the floor, and Michigan missed six of its first seven shots.
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