Wildcats enjoy a laugher

There was plenty of empathy on the court, but very little mercy.

Northwestern understands what it's like to play short-handed, having gone through two months without star forward Kevin Coble. The Wildcats have been brutalized on the backboards and, occasionally, on the scoreboard.

Thursday night, the roles flipped.

Howard was the understaffed squad, playing without its top two scorers, Eugene Myatt (17.8 ppg) and Jeron Smith (9.4 ppg), both of whom sat out with knee contusions.

Take away such scoring from a team that averages 18.9 turnovers and the consequences can be dire.

Thursday, it got dire fast.

In a game that essentially ended when the starting lineups were announced, Northwestern cruised to a 77-51 victory before 3,179 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. NU won its fourth straight to complete life without Coble at 5-4.

"We found about it just 10 minutes before tipoff," NU guard Jason Okrzesik said of Howard's absences. "It's tough no matter what, especially when you're on the road. Seventeen (points) a game is hard to make up."

Coble, who left the team in October to be with his ailing mother, practiced three times this week and expects to return for the Big Ten opener Jan. 2.

"His face looks a little red, but the ball was going in the basket," coach Bill Carmody said of Coble's performances in practice.

The Wildcats had little need for their top gun against Howard (3-8).

NU opened the game on a 7-1 run and swelled its lead to 25-5 on Sterling Williams' fastbreak layup.

Howard missed 12 of its first 13 shots and trailed 42-18 at halftime. NU nudged its lead to 33 early in the second half.

"I liked the energy," Carmody said. "Our execution was good."

Howard, which committed 30 turnovers in its previous game, stood little chance against NU's 1-3-1 zone. Led by Okrzesik (3 steals), the Wildcats forced 25 turnovers and converted for 33 points.

Six players recorded multiple steals.

"They play a little bit of 1-3-1, so I wasn't sure if they knew the open spots," Okrzesik said. "But you could tell in the first five minutes that they were a little shaky."

Okrzesik (12 points) continued to provide a spark as NU's sixth man. He scored in double figures for the fifth straight game and had 5 assists.

"He's the little bulldog," Carmody said. "The guy makes shots, and he's been tipping a lot of balls for a little squirt."

Four Wildcats scored in double figures, including Glenbrook South product Jeff Ryan (10 points, 15 minutes) and center Nikola Baran (11 points, 11 minutes). The game allowed Carmody to get minutes for reserves Ivan Peljusic (8 points) and Jean-Marc Melchior (4 points).

Guard Jeremy Nash saw his first action after being hampered by back problems, and Tonjua Jones, a wide receiver on NU's football team, scored with 14 seconds left.

Coble didn't attend the game but will rejoin the team Dec. 28. "We had to rally and guys had to step up," Okrzesik said. "Having said that, everyone is welcoming his return."