Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said he wanted to treat Thursday’s exhibition against DePauw like a real game.

He backed up his words by playing four NU starters more than 30 minutes in a 59-48 victory in front of 3,020 people at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

“It was good because I had to keep the guys in,” Carmody said. “I wanted them to play 30 minutes. (DePauw) has a good team, and they made us play, and they made us play hard.”

The Wildcats’ Vedran Vukusic led all players with 18 points and added 10 rebounds while playing all but two minutes. He was the only Cats player to score in double-figures.

T.J. Parker and Davor Duvancic each scored nine points, while Mohamed Hachad came off the bench to score eight. Parker, who tweaked his shot over the summer said he felt good shooting the ball but wasn’t pleased with his 3-for-9 performance.

Evan Seacat, who started in Hachad’s place, struggled in going 0 for 4 from the field in 18 minutes.

The Division III Tigers caught NU off-guard with a two-three zone to start the game. The two teams slopped through the first eight minutes as DePauw clawed to a 12-8 lead.

NU struggled with its shooting, finishing 29 percent from the field and 22 percent from behind the arc.

“I wasn’t displeased with where the ball was moving, I just wish the results were better when we shot the ball,” Carmody said.

Hachad, who did not start because he has practiced only sparingly in observance of Ramadan, came off the bench at the 12:23 mark to give the Cats a lift.

Within a minute of entering, the feisty guard stole the ball in the backcourt and converted a layup-and-one to give NU a 13-12 lead.

DePauw kept the game close, but a 10-2 NU run to end the first half, capped by a Vukusic three-pointer with time winding down, gave the Cats all the breathing room they would need.

Freshman Brandon Lee turned in a solid performance with nine points in 16 minutes, and Tim Doyle, last year’s transfer from St. John’s, also made his first appearance in a Cats uniform. He assisted Duvancic for NU’s first basket of the season, and finished the game with four points, four assists and six rebounds.

Reach Anthony Tao at [email protected].