Wildcats Secure Victory Over Owls in Overtime Thriller at Barclays Center

The Northwestern Wildcats emerged victorious against the Florida Atlantic Owls with a final score of 77-65. The Wildcats' season record now stands at an impressive 1-0, while the Owls fall to 0-1. The game, which took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, was a hard-fought battle that extended into overtime before the Wildcats clinched their win.

Northwestern's performance was marked by a strong second half and overtime period where they outscored the Owls 58 to 45. Their offensive efforts were led by an effective field goal percentage of 42 percent from an overall attempt of 69 shots. From beyond the arc, they managed to hit eight out of twenty-three attempts, translating to a three-point shooting percentage of thirty-five percent.

Defensively, Northwestern showed prowess with twelve steals and one block throughout the game. They also dominated on rebounds with a total of forty-one compared to Florida Atlantic's thirty-eight. This included thirteen offensive rebounds which contributed significantly to second-chance opportunities despite only yielding three second-chance points.

A key factor in Northwestern's success was their ability to capitalize on turnovers; they scored twenty-one points off Florida Atlantic's twenty-one turnovers while maintaining a lower turnover count themselves at twelve for the game. Additionally, their assist-to-turnover ratio stood at an efficient 1.67.

The free throw line also played a role in Northwestern's victory as they made eleven out of fifteen attempts resulting in seventy-three percent accuracy from the stripe. Points in paint were another area where Northwestern excelled with thirty points scored inside against Florida Atlantic’s thirty-four.

On individual performances, every player who stepped onto the court contributed positively towards this team effort but it was their collective defensive pressure and ball distribution that truly shone through with twenty assists on record for Northwestern.

As for Florida Atlantic Owls, despite falling short in overtime, they displayed commendable resilience throughout regulation time leading up to it. They had five blocks and nine steals defensively but struggled from three-point range making only five out of twenty-seven attempts – eighteen percent accuracy – which proved costly down the stretch.

Looking ahead after this intense matchup at Barclays Center during East Regional - First Round - Game 2 action fans can catch future broadcasts as per scheduled times; next up for Northwestern is yet another chance to showcase their skills on court as they continue their campaign through March Madness.