EVANSTON, Ill. -- Mississippi Valley State fought to the very end. 

But when the final horn sounded Thursday night it was Northwestern State on top with a 81-68 victory over the Delta Devils. 

MVSU (0-3), however, stood toe-to-toe with the Wildcats throughout the game thanks largely to junior guard Davon Usher, who led Valley with a career-high 35 points. 

The junior college transfer hit 12-of-18 shots -- including 7-of-8 three-pointers -- and was perfect from the free throw line (4-of-4). He also added seven rebounds and a pair of steals. 

His dominate play kept the Delta Devils within striking distance throughout. He scored 19 first half points while MVSU trailed just 40-38 at halftime. 

Usher tied the game at 58 midway through the second half on a 3-pointer from the right corner of the court. But Northwestern went on a 17-3 run to distance themselves from a Delta Devil team that was looking to earn its second-ever when against the Big 10 team. 

MVSU got all of its points from five players. Besides Usher 35 points, Matt Smith finished with 14 points and a team-high 8 rebounds while Julius Francis add 10 points. Darryl Marshall contributed seven points and a career-high eight assists while Blake Ralling added two points. 

Darius Tomlin also had five assists for the Delta Devils. 

Reggie Hearn paced the Wildcats with 23 points while Jared Swopswire added 22. 

MVSU will have time to regroup as it'll have a nine-day break until its Nov. 24 showdown at LSU, where MVSU head coach Chico Potts played for a season before transferring to Delta State.