Northwestern’s basketball fortunes may rest on the spindly legs of freshman point guard T.J. Parker, whose coast-to-coast driving layup was the margin of victory Saturday over Bowling Green.
The Wildcats (4-2) emerged with a frenetic 62-60 triumph in front of 4,719 fans at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 165-pound Parker, whose legs began to cramp late in the game, was sent in to replace junior guard Jitim Young after Bowling Green turned the ball over with 15.1 seconds left and the scored tied 60-60.
“I need to drink more water,” said Parker, a former standout at Lisle High School. “My legs were hurting when there were about four minutes to go, and I just told my coach I was going to play through it.
“That play . . . was a play for me, and I was going to come down and drive. I went as fast as I can and got the layup.”
Bowling Green (2-2) had taken a 60-59 lead on a three-pointer by Jabari Mattox, a Bloomingdale native, with 34 seconds left. Northwestern’s Aaron Jennings was fouled and split the two free throws to tie the game with 21.5 seconds left.
The Falcons’ Ron Lewis then was whistled for traveling, opening the door for Parker’s winning play.
Northwestern got a team-high 15 points and six steals from Parker. Jennings and freshman forward Jimmy Maley added 13 points apiece.
“I wanted [Parker] with the ball in his hands,” Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said.
Bowling Green, a member of the Mid-American Conference, came in with 17 straight wins against non-league opponents. Falcons junior center Kevin Netter had a game-high 20 points. John Reimold added 17 before fouling out with 48.7 seconds left. Lewis scored 11 points.
“I didn’t know Parker in the recruiting process, but I did know Maley,” said coach Dan Dakich, a former Indiana University player and assistant coach to Bob Knight with the Hoosiers.
“I was very impressed with [Parker] today. Anytime you can drive, and for the most part remain under control, to go 300 m.p.h. . . . that play he made at the end was really good.”
Bowling Green led 36-31 at the half, having erased a 13-4 NU advantage with a 16-0 run.
But the Wildcats “didn’t fold; they showed their fiber,” Carmody said.
“The difference in the game was the start of the two halves,” Dakich said.
Because of final exams, Northwestern does not have another game until Dec. 18 against Elon. The early season has been marked by inconsistency.
“We’re not playing well,” said Carmody, who is hoping senior guard Winston Blake will be able to rehab his injured ankle during the break.
But Carmody said he is not nervous about placing so much responsibility on freshmen Parker and Maley. “I like it,” he said. “Looking at the big picture, I think that’s good.”
