Northwestern beats Norfolk State 70-59

EVANSTON, Ill. - Ryan Young had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Pete Nance added 17 points and Northwestern overcame a slow offensive start for a 70-59 victory over Norfolk State on Friday night.

Miller Kopp had 11 points as Northwestern (2-2) bounced back from a 67-56 home loss to Radford on Tuesday.

Jermaine Bishop had 24 points as Norfolk State (3-3) dropped its second straight.

Northwestern got off to a miserable offensive start - again - and fell behind 18-8 less than seven minutes into the game.

The Wildcats, though, turned the game around on the defensive end, holding Norfolk State scoreless for 6 minutes, 47 seconds. Northwestern ran off 12 straight points and took its first lead, 20-18, on a 3-pointer by Kopp with just over seven minutes left in the first half.

Before Kopp’s basket, the Wildcats were 3 for 17 from the field, including 1 for 9 on 3-pointers.

Bishop snapped the scoring drought 30 seconds later with a 3-pointer to put the Spartans back on top, but Northwestern answered with five straight points - a 3 by Nance and a pair of free throws by Anthony Gaines - to regain the lead for good.

The Wildcats led 37-25 at halftime then scored the first four points of the second half for a 41-25 advantage. The closest Norfolk State got after that was 11 points.

BIG PICTURE

Norfolk State: The Spartans also led for the majority of the first half Tuesday at Bradley before struggling in the final 25 minutes of a 69-57 loss. Avoiding offensive droughts is a must to finish strong.

Northwestern: The way this season has started, any win is a cause for celebration. But it also should be a cause for concern that the Wildcats again came out tight against a lower-level Division I opponent. There’s no player seemingly willing to step up when the team desperately needs a basket.

UP NEXT

Norfolk State faces Caldwell Tuesday in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament in Florida.

Northwestern faces Bradley Monday night in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.