McIntosh, No. 20 Northwestern top Saint Peter’s 75-66

 

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) Bryant McIntosh scored 10 of his 17 points in the second half, and No. 20 Northwestern held off Saint Peter’s for a 75-66 victory on Monday night.
The Wildcats placed each of their starters in double figures in their second straight lackluster win to begin the season. Dererk Pardon scored 15 points, Gavin Skelly finished with 14 and Scottie Lindsey had 12 points and six assists.
Northwestern (2-0) made the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time in school history. The Wildcats returned four starters, but they are still looking for a complete effort through two games. They finished with 17 turnovers, helping smaller Saint Peter’s stay competitive throughout the night.
Nick Griffin scored 19 points for the Peacocks, who lost 61-40 to La Salle in their season opener on Saturday. Samuel Idowu and Cameron Jones each had 14 points.
Northwestern looked sluggish for much of the first half and Saint Peter’s stayed close by using much of the shot clock when it had the ball, forcing the Wildcats to work on defense. Saint Peter’s also made five of its 10 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes, but Northwestern used its superior athleticism and outside shooting to pull away over the middle of the game.
Vic Law’s jump hook lifted the Wildcats to a 32-25 at the break, and Skelly, Lindsey and Law each hit a 3-pointer in the first two minutes of the second half. Anthony Gaines made a layup and connected from long range to run the Northwestern lead out to 54-36 with 12:22 to go.
The Peacocks pulled within eight on Griffin’s layup with 2:39 left, but Lindsey hit two foul shots and Law had a rebound basket to help put it away.
BIG PICTURE
Saint Peter’s: The Peacocks shot 30.6 percent and committed 17 turnovers in their loss to the Explorers, so it was a marked improvement from their performance in their first game. Jones and Griffin each came up with a couple big shots when Saint Peter’s got into trouble.
Northwestern: The Wildcats are playing their home games at Allstate Arena this season while Welsh-Ryan Arena undergoes a $110 million renovation. Allstate is about 14 miles away from their campus, and it looks as if the team is still adjusting to what could be a much more subdued atmosphere at home this year. It was a quiet, sparse crowd for the matchup with the Peacocks.
UP NEXT
Saint Peter’s: Plays Sacred Heart on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Northwestern: Hosts Creighton on Wednesday night. The Wildcats play five games in 10 days to begin the season.
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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
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More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org