About a thousand miles away from Ryan Field, Northwestern basketball kept the party going.
The Wildcats (4-0, 0-0 B1G) rode a spectacular defensive start and a balanced scoring attack to a 72-61 victory over Rhode Island (3-1, 0-0 A10) at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut. NU advanced to the championship game, where it will face Mississippi State at noon CT tomorrow afternoon.
Northwestern had three scorers reach double figures. Brooks Barnhizer put up 18 points and nine rebounds on a 5-of-15 shooting mark, with Boo Buie adding 16. After playing only 15 minutes against Western Michigan, Ty Berry played a crucial role with 13 points and three three-pointers in 34 minutes.