Scottie Lindsey scored 25 points and made two big baskets in the final two minutes to rally Northwestern to a 62-60 victory over DePaul on Saturday afternoon. Vic Law added nine points for the Wildcats (8-4), who have won three straight, before he exited early with an injury. Max Strus scored a career-high 33 for the Blue Demons (6-5), who saw their five-game win streak snapped. The Wildcats overcame 18 turnovers and 40 percent shooting from the field after winning their first two games of the week by a combined 99 points over Chicago State and Valparaiso.
Northwestern took its first lead since 16-14 on Isiah Brown’s 3-pointer with 12:04 left for a 44-43 edge. Lindsey’s 3 extended the Wildcats’ lead to 51-47 during a 20-8 run. Strus hit a 3 to pull DePaul within 1 with 3:42 remaining. Jordan Ash scored after a turnover to stretch the Wildcats’ lead to 57-54. Lindsey nailed a jumper with 1:36 left and a 3 for a five-point edge with 55 seconds remaining. Strus made three free throws with 35 seconds left to pull DePaul within two before Northwestern turned the ball over. Eli Cain missed a driving layup at the buzzer for the Blue Demons. Strus set his previous career high of 24 on Dec. 9 against UIC. Law exited with an injury with 19:01 left and Northwestern trailing 36-28. The Blue Demons made just 9 of 24 free throws (37.5 percent). DePaul went on a 17-5 run that led to a 33-28 halftime lead. The teams combined for 24 turnovers.
