Michael "Juice" Thompson shot 7 for 12 from the field, en route to 22 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists (Photo courtesy of North By Northwestern).

For a few hair-raising minutes in the second half of Northwestern’s game today against Illinois, it appeared Punxsutawney Phil had come a few days late this year. The story line was all too familiar. After jumping out to an earlier lead, NU’s sloppy play and poor shooting allowed the Illini to fight their way back to within striking distance down the stretch.

But Michael “Juice” Thompson wasn’t having any of it.

The senior point guard scored 22 points to help NU (14-8, 4-7 Big Ten) upset Illinois (15-8, 5-5 Big Ten) this afternoon, 71-70. Thompson shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, including a trio of triples down the stretch, as the Wildcats fended off a furious second half comeback by the Illini.

Sophomore forward Drew Crawford said the Cats are at their best when Thompson is in control.

“It really gets us going as a team, gets the crowd going,” Crawford said. “He’s our leader, and when he’s knocking down shots, we’re playing well.”

NU came out strong after tip off, starting the first three minutes of the game on a 9-0 run. It utilized the same sort of slow, deliberate offensive style that was so successful against No. 1 Ohio State last week. Crawford did most of the damage early, accounting for 12 of the Cats’ first 26 points.

“It’s important to come out as a team with high energy,” Crawford said. “And a lot of times from the get-go we have someone coming out and knocking down shots…Today it just happened to be me.”

The Cats cooled down throughout the rest of the first half, allowing Illinois to draw even with a minute left in the period. But a costly Illini turnover and foul with the shot clock expiring let NU take a six-point lead into the locker room, 35-29.

The Cats extended their lead to 12 through the second half’s first nine minutes, but the score was tied at 53 after a 12-0 run by the Illini. That’s when Thompson took over. He scored 11 points during the game’s final six minutes, shooting 3-for-4 from three-point range.

“I thought Michael Thompson was very special,” Illinios coach Bruce Weber said. “He played like a senior…He wanted the ball in his hands and made some plays.”

With the Cats up 70-67, Illinois sent junior Luka Mirkovic to the line. The center sunk his first free throw, and instead of his customary chest pump, he raised both his index fingers above his head. There was five seconds left in regulation, and the made free throw was the last nail in the Illini’s coffin. Illinois’ Brandon Paul made a three-pointer as time expired, giving the Cats a 71-70 victor.

The contest was markedly different from the teams’ last meeting a month ago in Champagne, when the Illini shot over 70 percent en route to an 88-63 win. The 25-point loss provided plenty of material from which the Cats learned, NU coach Bill Carmody said.

“We got knocked down pretty hard in Champagne earlier,” he added. “This wasn’t revenge or anything like that…But it’s still real, real nice.”

NU has six games remaining in the regular season, the last two of which are against Top 20 teams. And as it appears that the Cats will be on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament once again, today’s upset of Illinois is all the more important.

“We’ve lost some tough games in conference,” Carmody said. “So it’s just real nice for us to get a signature victory here.”

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