The Wildcats added another victory to their non-conference home stand, trumping Illinois-Chicago 63-46.

Junior center Alex Olah got Northwestern (8-4) started off nicely on offense, scoring nine of the team’s first 12 points.

In those opening minutes, UIC (3-10) had a stretch of 13 straight missed field goals, and by the end of that early run, the Cats were already up 16-2. They led 31-16 at the half.

The Flames made a little run to start the second half, but NU held on. UIC had cut the lead down to as little as 7, but the Cats responded to ensure the outcome was never in doubt.

Defense was key for the Cats, as they smothered the Flames to just 17 percent shooting in the first half and a putrid 25 percent total for the game.

Olah ended with 17 points and 7 rebounds, his size creating a mismatch the Cats exploited throughout the game. Olah was NU’s trump card, as the Cats seemed to dump the ball into the post whenever the offense became stagnant.

Freshman guard Bryant McIntosh also put together a stellar performance, scoring 22 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting from the floor.

The Flames fought down the stretch, but the Cats kept hitting key shots. Sophomore forward Sanjay Lumpkin hit two clutch threes that stalled any UIC momentum.

After Flames forward Jason McClellan knocked down a three to cut the Northwestern lead to eight, McIntosh found Lumpkin for a straightaway three to push the lead back to double digits. The Cats didn’t look back, turning the three into a 7-0 run.

The Cats will play their final non-conference game Saturday in Evanston against Northern Kentucky.
Email: huzaifapatel2017@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @HuzaifaPatel95