EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern coach Chris Collins loved the way his team played in the first half Saturday against DePaul.The Wildcats were efficient on offense as they raced out to a big lead.He wasnt so fond of the ending.Northwestern built a 36-point halftime lead before DePaul outscored the Wildcats 46-26 in a foul-ridden second half as reserves took the court.The ball was moving. We were sharing it. With the score, we did not play as well in the second half, Collins said. Give DePaul credit. A lot of it had to do with them. They kept fighting.Scottie Lindsey scored 19 points and Vic Law had 16 as Northwestern beat DePaul 80-64.Gavin Skelly added 15 points and Sanjay Lumpkin had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats (6-2), who have won three straight.Derrick Wood scored 15 points and Joe Hanel and Billy Garrett Jr. added 11 apiece for DePaul, which saw its three-game winning streak end. The Blue Demons (4-2) shot just 33 percent from the field and went 2 for 20 from beyond the arc.Severe disappointment, DePaul coach Dave Leitao said. Our performance today, I have to go back a long way to be a part of a first half like that.The Wildcats had little trouble despite losing their starting center earlier in the week. Freshman Barret Benson started in place of Dererk Pardon, who is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the non-conference schedule after undergoing surgery on his non-shooting hand. Pardon, who averages 6.9 points and 7.0 rebounds, was injured Monday in a victory over Wake Forest.Benson had five points in foul trouble in his first career start.He did a great job. Dererks going to be out for a while, Collins said. Were going to need him to continue to progress in his role.Skelly also helped inside and was 5 of 7 from the field.Northwestern led 54-18 at halftime after shooting 54 percent from the field to DePauls 24 percent. Lindsey led all scorers with 16 points and was 4 of 5 from beyond the arc for the Wildcats, who led by as much as 39.The Wildcats opened the game with a 32-8 lead before Hanels layup ended a 25-2 Wildcats run.Theyre only a couple plays away from being undefeated, and they play like that, Leitao said.BIG PICTURENorthwestern continues solid non-conference play as it aims for its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning a school-record 20 games last season. The Wildcats upset then-No. 22 Texas on Nov. 21, and their two losses were by a combined six points to No. 18 Butler and Notre Dame.DePaul, which went 9-22 last season, lost its first road game after edging Missouri State and Drake by two points apiece.HE SAID ITIt makes us harder to guard because we have so many different guys that can put the ball in the hoop, Lindsey said of Northwesterns balanced offense.STAT OF THE GAMENorthwestern made 19 baskets and had 18 assists in the first half.UP NEXTDePaul hosts Lamar on Tuesday.Northwestern faces New Orleans on Dec. 11. C. J. Beathard Super Bowl Jersey . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Frank Gore Super Bowl Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. https://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Trent-Taylor-Jersey/ . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Steve Young Super Bowl Jersey . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Mike McGlinchey Super Bowl Jersey . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. PATERSON, N.J. -- The small, non-air-conditioned boxing room was filled with steamy air and body odor as a grunting, 6-foot-6 figure ruthlessly rained down punishing punches on a heavy bag.Tucked into an abandoned factory building in Paterson, New Jersey, Chinese heavyweight boxer Zhang Zhilei trained and prepared for his next bout, surrounded by decades-old posters and a washed-out red carpet.After retiring from amateur boxing, Zhang -- a super heavyweight silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics -- went pro in 2014 by signing a four-year contract with New Jersey-based American boxing promoter Dino Duva. Since then, Zhang has snatched a 12-0 record with eight knockouts -- including Fridays eight-round heavyweight victory over Georgian boxer Gogita Gorgiladze in Wenzhou, an eastern Chinese city.Give me one more year, two at most, and I will become somebody, Zhang told ESPN in early September.Life as a professional boxer is defined by discipline, featuring different types of conditioning and strength workouts six days each week -- jumping rope, lifting, movements, punching and pair practicing.On training days, Zhang would begin his day with a 6-mile morning run at a park in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The rest of his daily routine consists of eating, working out and resting, all of which are way too familiar to the 33-year-old who has been a professional athlete since his early teens.In fact, the challenging part of Zhangs life as a professional boxer is how to self-finance his training while living in the United States. He pays $50 a month to use the boxing club, including between $100 and $200 each time for pair training, on top of everything else, including rent and transporrtation.ddddddddddddIm getting used to it, Zhang said. The training is actually the same as I had in China.I didnt bring my wife and kids [to the U.S.]. They will distract me here.Back in his apartment, Zhang enjoys two distractions: cooking and making tea. As part of his strict diet plan, he eats only two meals each day, with plenty of fruits. When he is making tea -- normally his favorite, Longjing -- he follows the ritual of a tea ceremony, from which he says he has gained inspirations for the ring.Take one step at a time, he said. There is no quick success.Boxing is rarely discussed around the tea table. Instead, Zhang likes to open up about his sons homework, baseball games and finding the most authentic Chinese food in New Jersey.Duva shares a very similar mindset when it comes to scheduling the games, as he wants Zhang to be patient and focus on training first.Zhang Zhilei, Meng Fanlong and Wang Zhimin have made significant progress in the professional ranks since coming over to the U.S., Duva said, referring to Zhang and other Chinese boxers training in America. It took them a while to get used to the pro training and match structure, but now I believe they are without a doubt the best Chinese professional boxers. Their hard work and dedication is paying off, and they all are well on their way to fighting and becoming world champions as professional boxers.Said Zhang, I am one of the first to enter professional boxing. If the boxing world is still talking about me years later as a good fighter from China, I will be more than satisfied. ' ' '