Rebounding from its frustrating loss to unbeaten Butler, Northwestern prepped for Wednesday’s meeting with undefeated Florida State by scoring a confidence-building 59-43 victory over California-Riverside on Monday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
“We knew we had to win this game,” senior guard Craig Moore said.
Interior scoring, defense and rebounding were the main reasons Northwestern won. The Wildcats outscored the visitors 30-18 in the paint, held them to 24 percent shooting in the first half and gave them a 37-29 beating on the backboards.
The rout of a team that took the court with a four-game winning streak began when NU (4-1) scored 12 unanswered points to seize a 13-point lead with 4 minutes 52 seconds to play in the first half. After California-Riverside (4-2) scored the next three points, the Wildcats ended the half by scoring nine in a row for a 32-14 lead.
Sophomore Michael Thompson, with eight points, and Moore, with seven, were in the forefront of this 21-3 run that broke open the game. With 4:26 left in the game, the Highlanders reduced their deficit to 51-40 but never made a serious bid.
“Everyone wanted to move forward after that loss to Butler,” said Kyle Rowley, the 7-foot freshman center who made 5 of 6 shots in contributing 10 points. “The biggest thing looking forward to Florida State is keeping that intensity up.”
Luka Mirkovic, a 6-11 freshman, got 12 minutes of playing time in relief of Rowley, and 6-8 sophomore Ivan Peljusic got seven.
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nmilbert@tribune.com
