Scottie Lindsey contributed 19 points and Vic Law added seven for the Wildcats (15-10, 6-6 Big Ten). Northwestern has won four of its past five games.
"We needed a quality win, and we got one tonight," McIntosh said in the postgame TV interview.
Moritz Wagner's 20 points and nine rebounds led the Wolverines (19-7, 8-5). Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman added 11 points, but no other Wolverine had more than six.
The Wolverines defeated the Wildcats 58-47 in Ann Arbor on Jan. 29. Charles Matthews led Michigan that night with 14 points but only scored five on Tuesday. Lindsey was the lone Northwestern player in double figures in the first meeting, finishing with 15 points.
Both teams shot poorly from long distance in the opening half, but Wagner's 11 points lifted Michigan to a 32-29 halftime lead. The Wolverines connected on 3 of 11 3-point tries, while the Wildcats made just 3 of 14. McIntosh reached the 10-point mark before the break.
Northwestern reeled off 10 unanswered points early in the second half to take a 39-33 lead. Law gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game with a 3-pointer. He had missed 10 tries from long distance against the Wolverines until draining the left side shot.
Dererk Pardon and Lindsey followed with layups to complete the run before Wagner answered with an inside basket. Northwestern only scored five points over the next six minutes but maintained the lead thanks to its defense.
McIntosh then erupted, scoring his team's next 14 points. He made a 3-pointer, converted a runner in the lane, hit another trey, then put back his own miss. That gave the Wildcats a 54-44 lead with 3:43 left.
After the Wolverines cut their deficit in half, McIntosh drained two free throws. Wagner's three-point play was answered by McIntosh's layup, and the Wildcats closed it out with free throws.
Northwestern wound up shooting 40 percent from the floor while holding Michigan to 38.6 percent shooting.
Wolverines freshman forward Isaiah Livers sustained an ankle injury in the early going and did not return.
--Field Level Media
Michigan | Northwestern | |
Moritz Wagner 20 | Scoring | Bryant McIntosh 24 |
Zavier Simpson 5 | Assists | Bryant McIntosh 5 |
Moritz Wagner 9 | Rebounds | Gavin Skelly 9 |
Moritz Wagner 5 | Free Throws Made | Bryant McIntosh 5 |
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman 1 | Steals | Vic Law 2 |
Jordan Poole 1 | Blocks | Dererk Pardon 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Michigan | 52 | 38.6 | 5-22 | 13-19 | 13 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
Northwestern | 61 | 40.0 | 8-23 | 13-17 | 12 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 6 |