BTN.com staff, November 15, 2012

Davon Usher led Mississippi Valley State with 37 points, but it was not enough as the Delta Devils fell to Northwestern 81-68 Thursday at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. Reggie Hearn and Jared Swopshire both had good games for Northwestern (2-0). Hearn contributed 23 points, made 8-of-11 shots from the floor, and shot 4-of-6 from long range.

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FINAL: Swopshire had 22 points, went 7-of-11 from the field, and made 5-of-6 three-pointers. The Wildcats hit 51 percent of their field goals (27-of-53). Northwestern was on fire from beyond the arc during the game, shooting 52 percent (12-of-23). The Wildcats went 15-of-26 from the charity stripe as a team (58 percent). A 14-3 run allowed Northwestern to take a nine-point lead early in the game. Alex Olah finished off the run with a free throw and propelled the Wildcats to a 40-38 lead at intermission.

The Wildcats also got a double-digit effort from Dave Sobolewski, who scored 13. Mississippi Valley State (0-3) hit 47 percent of its field goals (24-of-51). Other Mississippi Valley State scorers in double figures included Julius Francis, who scored 10 and Matt Smith, who scored 12.

HALFTIME: Davon Usher's been a spark for Mississippi Valley State, but the Delta Devils trail Northwestern 40-38 at the break. In the first 20 minutes, Usher scored 21 points, shot 8-of-11 from the field, and hit 5-of-6 three-point tries. Jared Swopshire and Reggie Hearn are leading the way for the Wildcats. Swopshire scored 13 points and shot 4-of-5 from the field. Hearn scored 11 points and shot 4-of-5 from the field. Mississippi Valley State shot 5-of-9 from beyond the arc in the first half (56 percent).

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