EVANSTON, Ill. _ Northwestern appears to have finally turned the corner.
With a 61-52 victory against No. 20 Michigan on Tuesday night, the Wildcats have won four out of their last five games to help alleviate what's been a troubling season.
The question Wildcats fans must wonder is if it's too late to matter now after the hole Northwestern dug for itself.
In the second half, the Wildcats (15-10, 6-6 Big Ten) played with glimpses of the team that made the NCAA Tournament last season.
Northwestern's defense shut down Michigan after leading 32-29 at halftime. The Wolverines (19-7, 8-5), who tied a season-low for scoring went more than nine minutes without a field goal and had shot only three field goals until the final 2:45.
Bryant McIntosh (24 points) and Scottie Lindsey (19 points) controlled the offense, which shot an improved 45.5 percent after halftime.
A little more than a week ago, Northwestern was held to their second-lowest scoring margin of the season when it met Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Wildcats shot only 38.3 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 16 times in the 58-47 loss.
It was their only loss since Jan. 17.
Northwestern shot only 35.7 percent to Michigan's 50 percent in the first half _ another slow start for the Wildcats.
Michigan fans in yellow appeared to outnumber Wildcats fans at Allstate Arena. But it didn't sound like it after Northwestern took a 35-33 lead on a Vic Law 3-pointer as part of a 10-0 run in the second half.
They never trailed again in the game.
