EVANSTON, IL. - Kevin Coble was virtually unstoppable Saturday night, scoring a career-high 34 points, but it wasn't enough as Northwestern dug itself too deep of a hole in falling to Michigan 78-68 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

The point total was the highest by a Wildcat player in Bill Carmody's eight seasons as head coach. Coble's previous scoring high was 25 points in an overtime win over Western Michigan last season.

The Wildcats (5-8, 0-4) used a late 18-0 run to get back in the game, but it proved to be too late. Coble put forth a dominant effort in just his second start and fourth game of the season, connecting on 14 of 18 field goal attempts including four of five from 3-point range.

Manny Harris scored 22 points and handed out eight assists as the Wolverines ended a five-game losing streak and gave coach John Beilein his first Big Ten victory.

Ekpe Udoh added 14 points and 11 rebounds and DeShawn Sims scored 12 for the Wolverines (5-11, 1-3), who used a late first-half surge to build a 43-22 halftime lead before building the cushion to 30 early in the second.

Leading 21-17, Michigan went on a 22-5 spurt over the final six minutes of the first half to take the 21-point lead at the half.

After managing just the 22 points in the first half, Northwestern's offense came to life after the break as it put 46 points up while connecting on 18 of 33 field goal attempts (54.5 percent).

The Wildcats actually ended up out-shooting the Wolverines from the field by the slimmest of margins, 46.7 percent (28-60) to 46.6 percent (27-58).

However, a 45-25 advantage by Michigan on the boards proved to play a large role in the outcome. Outside of Coble, the rest of the NU team hit on just one of 16 3-point attempts.

Michael Thompson chipped in with 14 points and seven assists for the Wildcats who return to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday when they make the short trip to Chicago State.

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