It was another win for the Northwestern Wildcats as they move to 7-1 on the season with a blowout win against SIUE.
Hot Shooting Wildcats end the game early
It was another good shooting night for Northwestern as they shot 51% from the field and was able to pick apart the SIUE defense.
SIUE came into this game on a seven game losing streak and their play showed a dejected team.
After going through a rough second half in their overtime win against Virginia Tech this week, it must have been good for the NW morale to see them heating up from the field so early in the game. NW raced out to a 23-13 lead with a little over six minutes left in the first half. There, the Wildcats never looked back as they took the 35-26 lead into halftime.
Northwestern cruise in the second half
It was a very easy second half for the Wildcats as they were not even worried in the second half. NW scored a whopping 46 points in the second half and they were led by some players who seemed ot be getting out of slumps. Northwestern was able to close out the game in relatively easy fashion as they were able to close out the 81-56 win.
After a tough game against Virginia Tech, senior Alex Olah as he scored 21 points for the Wildcats. Olah had a big game in NW's first game this season but hasn't produced since then. Having Olah playing well will be a big key for Northwestern as they have to rely on their only senior for some leadership and scoring. They were also led by the 17 of Aaron Falzon who's three point shooting will be key for Northwestern moving forward. His ability to score and stretch the floor can help Northwestern when it comes to Big Ten play. 3-point shooting is a strength for the Wildcats as they have numerous shooters on their team.
This was a another easy out of conference win for Northwestern as they have only one opponent from a Power conference left which is DePaul. Assuming the Wildcats don't fall flat against DePaul, which would be very bad, they would have only one loss heading into Big Ten play. This would have the Wildcats thinking about the NCAA Tournament.
It will be a long break for the Wildcats as they have final exams coming up and will only be playing next week. But it will be a good break for Chris Collins and his team to rest up as they take on Chicago State, a team that took Illinois to the buzzer in their last game against a Big Ten team next.