By Michael Capobianco

As the old saying goes, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish.

Northwestern used a dominant second half to defeat the Northern Illinois Huskies on Monday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena by a resounding score of 89-67. The win was Northwestern’s fifth of the year and a crucial bounce-back performance after a tough nine-point loss against Mississippi State last Sunday at the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off in Connecticut. In the loss, the ‘Cats shot just 37.7% from the field, but that would change in their return to Evanston.

The Wildcats got things going early in this affair, opening up a 22-11 lead after nine minutes. Senior center Matthew Nicholson scored seven of the team’s first nine points in a moment of rare offensive involvement for the big man. Ty Berry also started out on a strong note, notching five points and three steals at the mid-way point of the first half. After a slow start to his sophomore campaign, the guard has started to find himself both offensively and defensively.

However, NIU sophomore forward Xavier Amos emerged as the early star, scoring 19 first-half points on a torrid 8-of-9 shooting to go along with five rebounds. The 6’8’’ Amos was a catalyst in NIU’s 16-4 run to take a 27-26 lead, and was perfect from downtown in the first 20 minutes. Despite rock-solid interior defense from Northwestern, producing four blocks, the Huskies couldn’t seem to miss from behind the arc, nailing six of their 11 first-half 3-pointers. The ‘Cats trailed 42-41 at the break following a back-and-forth first half of action.

Chris Collins must have done his best Herb Brooks impression in the locker room, as Northwestern came out rejuvenated, dominating NIU 48-25 in the second half. Boo Buie led the charge, scoring 16 second-half points on 5-of-6 shooting. The graduate guard relentlessly attacked the basket, and when he didn’t look to shoot, he created for his teammates, tallying seven assists. 

But perhaps most significant is Buie’s improved 3-point shooting this season, evident from his 4-of-5 night behind the arc on Monday. His 14 made 3-pointers this season are third in the conference, and despite a small sample size, Buie looks much more comfortable with his outside shot. It has been a dramatic turn from last season, where he shot just 31.8%. Perhaps Buie’s most important goal heading into his final season at Northwestern was to become a better long distance shooter, and his wish has come to fruition so far. 

The Huskies cooled down dramatically in the second half, cashing in just one of seven attempted 3-pointers, and the ‘Cats successfully contained Amos, who only scored seven more points. Nicholson and sophomore forward Nick Martinelli played important roles in the Northwestern victory, each finishing with a career-high in points. Martinelli was a spark off the bench, scoring 11 points in the win, while Nicholson finished with an impressive statline of 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

Up next for the ‘Cats: the best team in the country. Northwestern (5-1) will look to defeat Purdue (6-0) at home for the second consecutive year at the Welsh on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. After finishing second in the conference last year, the Wildcats will look to get off to a hot start in Big Ten play and set the tone for what is hopefully another successful season. Northwestern wasn’t where it needed to be last weekend in a disappointing result against a Power Five opponent, so this matchup will serve as another early season test for Chris Collins and his team.