'You have to have some luck too." - NU 75 Iowa 74

A good 3 point play with 2 seconds left doesn't hurt either. The Northwestern Wildcats made it 3 in a row over Iowa with a come from behind, overtime win Wednesday night. It was a game marked by two career scoring nights, lots of fouls, and unlikely free throw shooting, but in the end it was the shot by a walk-on guard [shown mobbed by the fans after the game] who hit a trey from the corner that made the difference...

The Wildcats played comeback kid tonight at Welsh-Ryan

Vedran Vukusic scored the last 13 points in regulation to tie the game and Michael Jenkins shooting from the corner as time ran out, tossed a 3 pointer up off the rim twice, then it bounced in, giving the Northwestern Wildcats their 2nd Big 10 win over the #23 Iowa Hawkeyes 75-74 Wednesday night.

Vukusic scored a career high 32 points in the game, and could have had more - he missed 2 3s in the overtime period - but Cat fans were even more relieved that he started and played 32 minutes, especially after hearing all the negative reports about his shoulder injury.

T.J. Parker, NU's Point Guard chipped in 12 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. Jenkins finished the night with 9 points and 4 rebounds.

Davor Duvancic and Tim Doyle had 6 points each, Davor also had 6 rebounds, Doyle added 3 boards, 3 assists and a steal. Mohamed Hachad scored 4, with 5 rebounds, and Vince Scott also hit for two.

Mike Thompson returned from his suspension - played 16 minutes and hit 4 freethrows. He also had 3 rebounds, two assists and a steal.

All told the Cats stole the ball 9 times, scoring 22 points off 17 Hawkeye turnovers. The Cats also got better at freethrows as the game continued - they finished the OT period 4 of 4 - the difference in the game.

For Iowa, it was the Greg Brunner show - he hit 11 of 17 and 6 freethrows to finish with 28 points -- a career high, a steal, and 3 blocked shots. He also had 4 rebounds.

The Wildcat defense held the Hawkeye's leading scorer Pierre Pierce to 15 points, Adam Haluska also hit for double figures with 12.

NU's Coach Bill Carmody was finally happy with the Cats' Play,
but first lets hear from the hero of the night - Michael Jenkins. Did you know that shot was going in?

MJ: The coach set up a play looking for Vedran so we could get a set back door and if Horner helped out, which he did, he told me to go in the corner... then I would be ready to go

You like that spot in the corner [Jenkins had 3 treys from the corner tonight]

MJ: Yeah, I like that corner, right.

Dave pointed out that the Cats had to come all the way back at the end of the game, then again from 5 points down in overtime.

MJ: I think we just played a good game, the coach told us a good game and Vedran put us on deck at the end of the game - he hit some big shots and then everybody worked their butts off.

Bob Hildebrand pointed out some of Jenkins' defensive play - he had 2 key defensive rebounds near the end of regulation, then one with 19 seconds left in the overtime.

MJ: I thought we did a good job defensively as a team. We collapsed in. We kept the ball away from Brunner - but he kept getting the ball but I think we did a good job  preventing him from scoring.

Everyone knows the story about Jenkins - one of the smallest guys on the team. He Walked on and didn't play. He was the leading rebounder against Indiana, then tonight got the winning shot...

MJ: Its just a lot of hard work.

Everybody on this team works hard. -- Everybody same as everybody. Everybody knows we work as a team, nobody's on a higher level -  everybody's on the same level - the coach makes sure that's the way it is, so everybody's on the same level.

And now the Coach of the Wildcats - Bill Carmody. Was there any doubt in his mind that the shot would fall in?

BC: After it hit and went up it reminded me, some of the old timers remember  Walton's shot against the Lakers... a game 30 years ago. It stayed up the air,  it was off after it was coming down it went back there.

I said at the time out ...l if they get the second we're not winning this game. You can't let them and we stopped them there.

It looked like freethrows again were going to be the downfall of this ballgame, but that changed when Vukusic and Parker hit a few down the stretch.

BC: Yeah, Vedran, we should all get bad shoulders.

Vukusic was only supposed to play 20 minutes - he wound up playing 43 and scoring a career high 32 points.

BC: The trainers told me I was going to take him out at the 7 minute mark and examine...they said I could use him and we'll see how it goes so...you know, that's what we did.

What about Tim Doyle's play tonight? Looked like he was using his head a little more in the way he threw the ball in to Vedran.

BC: that's a response and Mohamed was terrific and we drive a little bit ... a lot of guys played their part.

When you're losing like that the five guys who go out there have to all be on the same page, working real hard, and you have to have some luck too.

They had good foul shooters and they missed them. We worked hard but you have to have luck in this game and it was ours.

So its Ohio State at home this Saturday, starting at 11 AM WT.

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Coach Bill Carmody's Post Game comments [in italics] are taken from
the WGN Post Game Show
with Dave Eanet & Bob Hildebrand
and may have been edited for clarity

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Go Cats
Beat 'em All!

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