Ryan Young's 25-point, 12-rebound double-double Sunday enabled host Northwestern to cruise past nonconference foe SIU-Edwardsville 72-54 at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill, on Saturday.

Pat Spencer added 15 points for the Wildcats (5-4) and Anthony Gaines scored 13. Northwestern 40.6 percent from the field, but used big discrepancies in points in the paint and off turnovers to create its comfortable margin.

The Wildcats earned a 19-2 advantage in points off turnovers, forcing 18 and committing only six. They also outscored the Cougars 44-26 in the paint, scoring 14 second-chance points to the visitors' none. Northwestern carved out a 38-29 advantage on the glass.

Zeke Moore scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds for SIU-Edwardsville (2-8), going 8 of 13 from the field. Tyresse Williford added 12 points and Brandon Jackson contributed 10, but the Cougars put just three other players in the scoring column.

The Wildcats took control early in the second half, doubling their 31-25 halftime lead with an 8-2 spurt to start the half. Spencer's transition dunk made it 39-27 with 17:39 left, forcing a timeout from SIU-Edwardsville. The margin stayed in double figures for most of the game's remainder.

Needing a win to push its record back over .500, Northwestern never trailed against its Ohio Valley Conference opponent. After a couple of early ties, the Wildcats went on a 10-2 spurt for a 14-6 lead on an A.J. Turner layup with 13:40 left in the first half.

The advantage stayed between 8 and 11 points for the half's remainder, Northwestern going up 21-10 when Spencer canned two foul shots with 6:02 remaining. But SIU-Edwardsville made a little push late in the half.

The Cougars used a 7-2 burst to pull into contention at intermission, getting a dunk from Jackson with six seconds on the clock to make it a 31-25 game. The big difference was points off turnovers, the Wildcats getting 12 off nine SIU-Edwardsville miscues while surrendering none.

--Field Level Media