Northwestern beats Florida Atlantic 77-65 in March Madness overtime
Ryan Langborg scored 12 of his career-high 27 points in overtime, and ninth-seeded Northwestern finally put away No. 8 seed Florida Atlantic 77-65 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Brooks Barnhizer's driving layup tied it with nine seconds left for the Wildcats (22-11), who recovered after squandering a nine-point lead late in the second half. They will play No. 1 overall seed UConn or 16th-seeded Stetson in the second round of the East Region on Sunday in Brooklyn.
Boo Buie had 19 of his 22 points after a quiet first half, and Barnhizer added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Northwestern, which advanced in the NCAAs for the second consecutive season.
"Our team, the toughness level and the heart of this team is like nothing I've ever been a part of," said Northwestern coach Chris Collins. "For us to have the first half we did, I said when we got to overtime, we're gonna find a way, because that's what we've done all year and it's a real credit to these guys."
Vlad Goldin had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Owls (25-9), who returned nearly their entire team from a surprising Final Four run last year but were unable to muster that same March magic this time.
Down by nine with 6 1/2 minutes left, Florida Atlantic scored eight straight points to grab a 58-56 lead on Johnell Davis' driving basket with 1:04 remaining — his first points of the second half.
"It's not often we get to go to the dance"
Northwestern fans packed Chicago's Franklin Tap in time for tipoff as the Wildcats took on FAU.
Sure, it was the middle of the workday, but this was March.
"It's not often we get to go to the dance, so this is great!" said one fan.
Work, or watch basketball? Northwestern alumni knew the obvious answer.
"I took the morning off today, yeah," said Northwestern alum Daniel Flores.
"I work for myself so I'm going to take the day off and enjoy it," said another fan.
While the first half didn't feel so good, the second half got fans' hearts racing. As the clock ran out, the alumni were on their feet.
After pulling out the win in overtime, the Wildcats were still dancing.