What seemed like eons before Northwestern’s near-collapse versus Dayton on Saturday night at the United Center, the Wildcats utterly dominated the first half. Offensively, they hit over 50 percent of their shots, knocked down five three-pointers and put up 40 points in the first 20 minutes. It was clinical at times, and it was balanced, too: Five players had at least five points at the break, yet none had reached double digits.
But what was far more impressive was the Wildcats’ work on the defensive end during the opening period. Dayton, one of the more efficient teams in the nation offensively, shot 4 of 28 from the floor.