Nance and Young put High Point away in the second half

EVANSTON - Pete Nance and Ryan Young put away the High Point Panthers with a flurry of buckets, combining for 32 second-half points to lead Northwestern to a 95-60 win on Friday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Nance was ensnared by foul trouble early, and started the second half with just two points. He dropped 14 points in the first 5:11 with an array of shots that showed off his full arsenal.

The senior big man poured in two 3s, a soft fadeaway from just inside the foul line, a twisting left-handed layup beneath a defender's arm for an and-1, and more. He finished the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds on 8-for-13 shooting from the field.

It was the kind of master-class performance that should excite fans, even in an early non-conference game like this.

Nance firmly put the Wildcats (2-0) ahead after a chilly first half had them heading into the break with only a 34-33 lead. It was hard to believe these teams scored 80 and 108 points, respectively, in their previous games.

Collins credited the team's maturation for riding out High Point's hot start.

"I was really proud," Collins said, "because I thought our guys never really got rattled by it. In the past, when these guys were young guys, they would get flustered by a quick run like that, and it would be hard for them to kind of get out of that."

In that first half, Collins pushed the depth of this team early to try and break the slump. He played nine players before the clock cracked the 14-minute mark of the first half, and each got at least 13 minutes. It paid off, as Northwestern's bench outscored High Point's 40-5.

Leading that charge was center Ryan Young, who resuscitated the Northwestern offense when it had just six points after six minutes of the first half and continued to be a steady presence inside all game long.

Young finished the game perfect from the field and the free-throw line, tallying 20 points on 8-of-8 shooting and going 4-for-4 at the line. Young was far from stretching his range; his furthest shot probably was barely outside the block. But he methodically poured in layups and strong finishes through contact all night.

Young was the headliner off the bench, but Ryan Greer also had his own perfect outing. After his scoreless game against Eastern Illinois, Greer bounced back with 15 points, going 6-for-6 from the field and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Collins credited Young, Greer and the bench for staying ready, and pointed out the experience and flexibility that they provide in the lineup.

"It's not so much about starting, because all these guys are going to play right around 20 minutes, give or take, whoever's playing well, what the game entails," Collins said.

"And our guys understand that, you know, I feel Elyjah Williams can start a game. I feel Ryan Young could start a game, Ryan Greer could start a game for us. So, you know, I don't want our guys to get too caught up. I just told all of them to be ready."

The Wildcats could have exciting depth if Young and Greer continue to play at this high level and they return Chase Audige from injury and Brooks Barnhizer from illness. Collins said that Barnhizer had flu-like symptoms, and did not attend tonight's game.

High Point had a much more subdued scoring performance than their first game, where they cracked triple digits; they just barely made it to 60. They were led by guard John-Michael Wright, who torched the Cats in the first half for 14 points but finished with 23 after the Wildcats defense clamped down.

Outside of Wright, the Panthers struggled. Northwestern's defense locked in for the second half, allowing just 27 second-half points and setting the table for Nance and Young to put High Point away.