EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern's Bryant McIntosh scored 32 points as the Wildcats erased a 12-point second half deficit to come away with an 83-80 overtime win over the Columbia men's basketball team.
The Lions (1-2) were led by Grant Mullins, who scored 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go with six assists.
Columbia started red-hot from 3-point range, hitting six of their first nine attempts to race out to a 25-13 cushion with 9:43 left in the first half.
However, Northwestern (3-0) switched into a 2-3 zone to get Columbia out of its early rhythm. The Lions missed six shots in a row while the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run, capped by a McIntosh trey to knot things up, 26-26, with 3:23 before the break.
On the next possession, Luke Petrasek gave Columbia the lead back on a free throw and Mullins found the 6-10 junior with a nifty over the shoulder feed which led to a slam to kick-start five unanswered.
The Lions started the second half strong, going in front 44-32 after another Petrasek dunk with 16:57 remaining in regulation. Northwestern tried to chip away at the deficit, but were held at bay until there was just over two minutes remaining.
Tre Demps started the rally with a layup to cut the deficit to 74-40 and pulled within two after a Columbia miss on the next possession. Another empty trip on offense gave the Wildcats another chance and McIntosh buried mid-range jumper with 40 seconds on the clock.
The Lions had two opportunities, but could not buy a basket to force overtime.
Columbia was held without a field goal through the entire extra frame, but stayed within striking distance. Northwestern missed a free throw with 10 seconds remaining to give the Lions the ball back for one last shot.
Off an inbounds play with 2.8 seconds, Lo tried to hit Rosenberg from the right elbow, but he could not corral the pass as time expired.
Rosenberg finished with 17 points while Petrasek recorded 15 points and eight rebounds.
Rosenberg was active in the closing moments, factoring in on the Lions' final four buckets of the half with three makes and an assist, giving Columbia a 35-28 lead at the break.
The Lions were held to just 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc in the second half and did not record a field goal in the final 7:37 of the contest.
The Lions are back in action Sunday, Nov. 22 against Lehigh in Levien Gymnasium Game time is slated for 4 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by clicking here. Lance Medow and Sal Licata will bring you the action live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
