PURPLE PAIN

FURIOUS RALLY BY N’WESTERN FIZZLES AFTER BLOWN CALL

SALT LAKE CITY — Chris Collins was right. It was goaltending all the way.

The Northwestern coach was also wrong. At the worst time possible.

After not getting the call, Collins stomped onto the court and drew a technical foul with 4:54 left in Saturday’s game, sucking life out of a frenetic comeback that fell short in a 79-73 loss to top-seeded Gonzaga.

What a strange, heartbreaking way to close out the school’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Adding to it: The NCAA released a statement acknowledging the call was missed, and Collins was sitting at the postgame interview while he heard it read to him for the first time.

“I appreciate the apology,” Collins said, the venom practically dripping off his tongue. “It makes me feel great.”

Nigel Williams-Goss finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists to power Gonzaga, which led by as many as 22 points in the first half, then saw the lead dwindle to five.

The arena, drenched in purple, was rocking, and all the momentum was in Northwestern’s corner.

The Wildcats (24-12) got the ball down to Dererk Pardon for a point-blank shot that was on its way in. Gonzaga 7-footer Zach Collins reached up through the net and deflected the ball out. No whistle blew. Gonzaga got the rebound and started down court. Collins ran onto the court, charged toward the referee and gestured as if he were knocking a ball out of the hoop from the bottom.

An automatic “T.” The NCAA’s postgame statement also said Collins was hit with the technical for violating “bench decorum” rules by stepping onto the court with the ball in play.

On the other end, WilliamsGoss made both free throws and Northwestern never drew closer.

But what a comeback it was. Bryant McIntosh scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half and Vic Law had 15 of his 18, as Northwestern finally found an answer for Gonzaga’s quick guards and smooth-as-can-be ball movement.

Law dunked an offensive rebound to cut the deficit to 63-58 and on the other end, Scottie Lindsey swatted Williams-Goss down low to give Northwestern the ball with a chance to draw within a 3-pointer.

Painful as the late sequence was for the Wildcats, chances are it won’t be the only thing they remember.

“To me, the second half is who that group was,” Chris Collins said. —