Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
6-3
Mississippi Valley State
1-8
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Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Northwestern Slams Mississippi Valley State, 101-49
12/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- It was a night of "first time since" for the Northwestern men's basketball team as it rolled to a 101-49 victory over Mississippi Valley State Sunday evening at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The victory marked the first time since a 100-89 victory over Wisconsin on March 6, 1993 that the Wildcats topped the century mark. The 101 points were the most by NU since a 103-94 double-overtime victory over Dartmouth on Dec. 29, 1991. Additionally, the 52-point margin of victory was the program's largest since a 101-45 win over University of Chicago on Nov. 26, 1988.
Alex Olah paced Northwestern with 17 points and 10 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action and Nathan Taphorn contributed a career-best 16 points off the bench. Tre Demps and Bryant McIntosh pitched in with 15 points apiece.
The Wildcats got off to a good start offensively, surging out to a 14-7 lead by the first media timeout.
Meanwhile, Northwestern's defense allowed MVSU to connect only five of its first 17 field goal attempts as the advantage grew to 20-11.
Olah began to impose his will against the much-smaller Delta Devils around the midway point of the half, scoring six straight points during one stretch. Vic Law's rim-rattling slam off a fastbreak capped a seven-point run that put NU up 29-15 with just under 8 minutes left in the half.
McIntosh had 10 first-half points, capped by a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer that gave Northwestern a 47-26 lead at the intermission.
The 'Cats shot 60 percent (18-30) from the field over the opening 20 minutes of play. Olah led the way with 12 points and 8 rebounds.
Northwestern wasted little time in putting the game away in the second half, starting the stanza on an 11-0 run to stretch the advantage to 32 points.
The Wildcats put on a dunking display throughout the contest and in the second half in particular. Law, Olah, Nathan Taphorn, Gavin Skelly all threw down slams in the contest as the Northwestern tipped off a five-game homestand and snapped a three-game losing streak in resounding fashion.
After committing eight turnovers against an MVSU squad that was forcing nearly 18 per contest, Northwestern did a much better job taking care of the ball in the second half when it only had three miscues.
NU dominated on the boards, holding a 51-33 advantage, with Sanjay Lumpkin leading the way with 11. McIntosh's 6 assists paced Northwestern's 25 helpers as a team.
The Wildcats return to action at 7 p.m Wednesday when they host Central Michigan at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tickets are available at NUsports.com or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE.
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