Reggie Hearn, ladies and gentlemen.
On a day when John Shurna's shot wasn't falling (3 for 14 from the field), Northwestern needed someone else to step up, and the walk-on was more than up to the task, scoring a career high 17 points on 6 of 7 shooting to lead NU past a surprisingly game CCSU squad.
The play of the game came with just under a minute to go and NU clinging to a one point lead. Out of a timeout, Bill Carmody dialed up a give and go with Hearn and Luka Mirkovic, and Hearn finished strong in traffic and drew a foul. Hearn also made all four of his threes and had two emphatic rejections; after one of the blocks he stared down his CCSU victim. Without Hearn, Northwestern almost surely suffers a crippling loss. Incredible how far he's come.
Mirkovic also had a nice game with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
Give credit to CCSU; they have three guys who can fill it up, highlighted by freshman Kyle Vinales, who dropped 27 and hit some of the most ridiculous shots you'll ever see, including two step-back NBA range three pointers as the shot clock was expiring, one of which he turned into a four point play.
It was far more tense than expected but it's still a win on a day where the threes weren't falling. Also, Reggie freakin' Hearn.