Florida Atlantic’s Johnell Davis, right, defends Northwestern’s Boo Buie during the first half of Friday’s first-round NCAA Tournament game.
Frank Franklin II/AP
NEW YORK — Northwestern looked worried.
Officials had just determined that a possession call previously siding with the Wildcats in their round-one game against Florida Atlantic on Friday afternoon at the Barclays Center was, in fact, a jump ball.
Trailing by two, with 30 seconds to play, the Wildcats needed that possession back. They got it following a missed free throw from the Owls’ seven-footer Vladislav Goldin. On the other end, junior guard Brooks Barnhizer provided an answer in a desperate moment, tying the game at 58 apiece.
Overtime proved to be all Northwestern needed. They scored 19 points while holding FAU to just seven, en route to an 77-65 win.
A lid sat atop each basket during the first half.
At least, that’s what appeared to be true, as both teams combined for 39 points in the 20 minutes. Northwestern shot 21.2% from the field and 16.7% from three in the first half, while the Owls went 33.3% and 11.1% from deep. The lowest-scoring half in NCAA Tournament history during the shot-clock era was set in 2007 when UCLA and Indiana scored a combined 33 first-half points.
In the second half, the game opened up. Boo Buie caught fire, starting with a three less than 30 seconds in before ripping off 12 more. He finished with 22 points and four assists.
“BOO BUIE, MAJOR SPLASH” 💦#MarchMadness @NUMensBball pic.twitter.com/VauGhv0iyv
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2024
Beyond the poor shooting performance in the opening half, both teams combined for 18 turnovers, with FAU accounting for 12 of them. Barnhizer was responsible for keeping the Wildcats afloat while they struggled to find their shot. He had seven points and four rebounds in the first half and finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Ryan Langborg had a game-high 27 points, 12 of which he scored in overtime.
Goldin’s 67% field-goal percentage is third in the nation. The Wildcats held him to three points in the first half. He finished with a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Johnell Davis added 18 points and senior guard Brandon Weatherspoon contributed 10 points.
Coming into Friday’s game, Buie’s teammates and coach, Chris Collins, talked at length about wanting to send him out right now. Their win puts off his inevitable last game for one more day.
The Wildcats’ next game is on Sunday, when they will face the winner of No. 1 seeded UConn and No. 16 seeded Stetson.