Pete Nance scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes Thursday night as Northwestern cruised to an 82-46 nonconference rout of Fairleigh Dickinson in Evanston, Ill.

Ryan Young added a game-high 20 points off the bench for the Wildcats (4-0), making 6 of 8 shots from the field. Boo Buie contributed 11 points and five assists, while Robbie Beran chipped in 10 points.

Devon Dunn and reserve Ibrahim Wattara scored 12 points apiece for the Knights (0-2), who were playing their first game since Nov. 9, when they opened with a 93-49 loss at Seton Hall. Their Nov. 12 game at Drexel was postponed due to mechanical problems with their bus.

Fairleigh Dickinson's transportation wasn't an issue this time, but its offense was. The Knights canned just 30 percent of their field-goal attempts and also committed 20 turnovers that Northwestern converted into 21 points.

In sharp contrast, the Wildcats connected on 52.7 percent of their field goals, going 10 of 20 from the 3-point arc to complement the inside play of Young and Nance. Northwestern recorded 21 assists on 29 made buckets.

After Fairleigh Dickinson's Brandon Rush started the scoring with a jumper off a Northwestern turnover, the Wildcats promptly ripped off 15 straight points. Nance was primarily responsible for the fast start with seven points and four rebounds before the first TV timeout.

The Knights endured a scoring drought of nearly six minutes from Rush's basket to a three-point play by Dunn. They never got closer than seven points and trailed by double figures for the last 30-plus minutes.

Northwestern rattled off 11 consecutive points to grab a 28-10 lead with 7:29 left in the half, thanks to Nance stealing and dunking in transition. Young's put-back boosted the margin to 21 at the four-minute mark, and the Wildcats coasted into intermission with a 40-20 cushion.

Fairleigh Dickinson never pushed the deficit under 20 at any point in the second half. Overall, the Knights made only 2 of 15 3-point attempts and were outrebounded 41-28.

--Field Level Media