Efficient Northwestern rolls past Illinois-Springfield 90-50

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Peter Nance scored 15 points and Northwestern cruised past Division II Illinois-Springfield 90-50 on Monday night.

Boo Buie and Ty Berry added 11 points each for the Wildcats (8-2), who won their sixth straight at home.

Northwestern was sharp from the start, scoring the first eight points and building a 20-5 lead before UIS found any offensive consistency. The Wildcats led 47-29 at halftime after making 11 of 15 2-point attempts and shooting 57% overall with 15 assists on 17 made baskets.

Northwestern scored the first 17 points of the second half. James Kelley finally got UIS on the board when he hit a 3-pointer with 13:32 remaining.

Kelley led the Prairie Stars with 14 points and Chris Hamil scored 13.

Northwestern finished at 55% from the field with 24 assists on 32 made baskets. The Wildcats average just 8.8 turnovers per game and had eight in this one. They are third in the nation, committing turnovers on only 12.6% of their possessions.

Northwestern had not played since Dec. 12 against NJIT, a 70-52 victory for the Wildcats. Northwestern's scheduled game on Dec. 18 against DePaul was cancelled due to positive COVID results within the DePaul program.

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