Northwestern air-balled four shots during the first half of its season opener Saturday.
The aftermath of a sloppy exhibition game seemed to linger at Welsh-Ryan Arena, but the Wildcats (1-0) ultimately prevailed 72-55 over the Eastern Illinois Panthers (0-1).
New coach Chris Collins began his career with a 57-46 exhibition win over Lewis on Wednesday, but the result was anything but pretty: NU hit only 40 percent of its shots from the floor. That same sluggish play continued to haunt the Cats in the first half against Eastern Illinois.
Sophomore center Alex Olah committed several costly errors early, whiffing on two mid-range jumpers and turning the ball over at the top of the key to hand the Panthers an easy fast break.
— Bobby Pillote
Read the full story from Saturday’s game here.
