Men’s Basketball: After tears, Sanjay Lumpkin shines in Senior Day send-off

The Daily Northwestern Sanjay Lumpkin looks to pass. The senior forward went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in Northwestern's Senior Day loss. Colin Boyle/Daily Senior StafferColin Boyle/Daily Senior Staffer Sanjay Lumpkin looks to pass. The senior forward went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in Northwestern's Senior Day loss. Ben Pope, ReporterMarch 5, 2017

Sanjay Lumpkin said he cried when coach Chris Collins gave Northwestern a pre-game speech in the locker room. He cried when he, accompanied by his family, was honored prior to tip-off as part of Senior Day festivities.
The senior forward looked like he might start crying again when talking about his mentor Drew Crawford in the postgame press conference, but he held it together.
“I was honestly just trying to soak in everything today,” he said. “I think I used up all my tears.”
In between the emotional moments of his final game at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Lumpkin scored 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds, including five on offense.
The scoring breakout for the Wildcats’ (21-10, 10-8 Big Ten) defensive stalwart, who had scored just 6 total points in his previous four outings, kept NU competitive to the final horn in a 69-65 loss to the No. 16 Boilermakers (25-6, 14-4).
“It was nice to see the ball go in,” Lumpkin said. “We knew where we’d be able to attack them, and especially with their bigger guys (I could) use my quickness, and that was all our gameplan.”
Although he has the Big Ten and, in all likelihood, the NCAA tournaments left to play, Sunday’s game closed the final chapter in Lumpkin’s basketball career in Evanston.
He joined the program in 2012 a year before Collins became coach. The team has seen much turnover throughout Lumpkin’s five years.
“He’s been a rock for me,” Collins said. “Whether he scores 13 and 7 or not, just his ...


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