Evanston, IL – The Northwestern Wildcats survived an overtime scare from the Elon Phoenix, finally prevailing 68-67. The Wildcats were led by junior guard Tre Demps who poured in 21 points and none bigger than the shot to take the lead for good with 51 seconds left in the game. The Phoenix had a shot to win the game but freshman guard Elijah Bryant came up short on his attempt.
Northwestern really struggled defending the 3-point line allowing Elon to shoot 10-for-18 from distance. Junior guard Tanner Samson was responsible for a majority of those shooting 8-for-13, finishing the evening with 24 points. The Wildcats also struggled keeping Elon off the offensive glass allowing 10 offensive rebounds. Northwestern looked to be playing their best when they played fast and up-tempo, when the game slowed down the offense slowed down significantly. Elon attacked the Wildcats offense by trapping their guards forcing 16 turnovers on the evening and not allowing the Wildcats to establish any offensive rhythm. Northwestern is going to have their hands full during the Big Ten season with their lack of depth and not having a true scorer.
Demps, 6’3”, has the athletic ability to be a star for the Wildcats, however, his jump shot is not consistent. Demps attacks mostly out of the pick and roll and does a good job putting pressure on the defense. On the defensive end he talks with his teammates and has good positioning on the floor allowing him to be effective on rotations. He does get caught ball watching at times allowing his man to sneak out of his vision.
Nick Hinojosa is a Correspondent and Scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can subscribe to our RSS feed from the upper right corner of our home page, follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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