Vic Law and Ryan Taylor each scored 21 points Sunday as Northwestern wrapped up its nonconference schedule with a 75-54 win over Columbia at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.

Dererk Pardon chipped in 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for the Wildcats (9-4), who made just 41.8 percent from the field but sank 10-of-24 3-pointers. Northwestern also drilled 19 of its 24 free throw attempts.

Patrick Tape made 8-of-10 shots from the field and tallied 18 points for the Lions (3-9), while Quinton Adlesh added 14, going 4-of-9 on 3-pointers. But the Ivy League school couldn't figure out a way to get help for Tape and Adlesh, finishing the day just 21-of-56 shooting from the field and hitting only 5-of-16 on 3-pointers.

The Wildcats put the game away fairly quickly in the second half. Taylor started it by sticking a 3-pointer and Miller Kopp answered a Jake Killingsworth 3-ball with a driving layup, giving Northwestern a double-figure lead it gradually would expand for the final 19 minutes.

A 3-point play by Law and a 3-pointer from Taylor increased the lead to 51-34 with 14:32 left. The margin never dipped below 12 for the game's remainder.

Neither team got off to a quick start, flailing and failing offensively. Columbia led 6-4 at the first TV timeout and the score was only 12-12 just over 10 1/2 minutes into the game.

After the Lions managed a 16-12 edge on a dunk by Randy Brumant with 8:19 left in the half, Northwestern finally managed to hit a few shots. The Wildcats peeled off a 13-2 run, establishing a 25-18 advantage as Law soared for an alley-oop jam off Pete Nance's feed with 3:58 remaining.

Columbia shaved the deficit to 29-26 when Adlesh sank a 3-pointer 1:36 before halftime, but Northwestern made a push in the final 90 seconds. Law capped it by drilling a 3-ball with two seconds left, putting the Wildcats in the locker room with a 37-29 cushion.

--Field Level Media