Ten games, nine wins. Not too shabby.
Alex Olah's double-double led Northwestern, which improved to 9-1 with a 78-48 win over Mississippi Valley State at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The Cats never trailed in this one, not creating much separation until an 11-2 run in the middle of the first half. That stretched the lead out to a half-high 14, and the lead was 10 at the break. The lead stayed about there for the first few minutes of the second half, but the Cats outscored the visiting Delta Devils 27-13 over an approximately 13-minute stretch, stretching a 10-point lead out to a 30-point lead, and that was the final margin. Eight different Cats scored during that 27-13 stretch, with three — Bryant McIntosh, Tre Demps and Nathan Taphorn — contributing at least five points in that span.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Northwestern held MVSU to just 29-percent shooting, the Devils making only two 3-pointers on the night. The Cats shot 43.3 percent from the field and grabbed 53 rebounds while winning that battle, also outscoring the Devils in the paint, 36-22.
[SHOP BIG TEN: Get your Northwestern gear right here]
Olah led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds, notching his second double-double of the season. Olah also blocked three shots.
McIntosh, Demps and Aaron Falzon all also finished in double figures: McIntosh had 14 points, also handing out eight assists; Demps scored 13 points; and Falzon had 12, all coming off four made 3-pointers.
News
The Cats improved to 9-1 with the victory and remain one of just four Big Ten teams with one or fewer losses. The other three — Michigan State (11-0), Maryland (9-1) and Purdue (11-0) — were all ranked in the top 10 of this week's AP poll.
Northwestern has three non-conference games remaining before the start of Big Ten play. Next up is a "road trip" to play DePaul on Saturday in Rosemont.