By MEGHAN MONTEMURRO
Associated Press

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -- Northwestern senior guard Drew Crawford's
hot start sparked the Wildcats, as his game-high 20 points, all
in the first half, propelled them to a 79-49 win in their season
opener against Texas Southern Tuesday night.



Crawford scored 5 seconds into the game off the opening tip and
never let up, hitting 8 of 9 shots in the first half including
four 3-pointers.



The Wildcats' defense pressured Texas Southern (0-2) the entire
game, aided by five players 6-foot-8 or taller which limited the
Tigers' effectiveness in the post. Texas Southern failed to
crack double digits until forward Aaron Clayborn's layup with
3:15 left in the first half, but that barely put a dent in
Northwestern's 40-11 lead.



Ten players scored for Northwestern, led by Crawford and
freshman Kale Abrahamson, who added 15 points including two deep
3-pointers that brought the fans at Welsh-Ryan Arena to their
feet.