Piscataway, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) - Bryant McIntosh scored 17 points and Tre Demps added 16, as Northwestern spoiled Rutgers' inaugural Big Ten game with a 51-47 decision on Tuesday at the RAC.

The Wildcats (10-4, 1-0 Big Ten) notched their fourth straight victory, but will face a much stiffer test in their next game Sunday against fourth-ranked Wisconsin.

Myles Mack was the lone double-digit scorer for Rutgers with 15 points. The Scarlet Knights (8-6, 0-1), who joined the Big Ten this season after a one- year stint in the AAC and a lengthy run in the Big East, had a two-game win streak stopped.

Projected as the worst teams in the conference by the Big Ten's writers, the Wildcats and Scarlet Knights lived up to the billing. Northwestern shot just 39.0 percent and Rutgers finished at a dismal 30.2 percent.

Rutgers, though, started 5-of-9 from the floor and opened a 12-5 lead just five minutes into the game behind six points from Mack. But the Scarlet Knights made just three more baskets for the remainder of the half.

Northwestern trailed 17-10 midway through the period, but JerShon Cobb, Demps and McIntosh each hit from beyond the arc to put the Wildcats in front. The Scarlet Knights regained the lead at 20-19, but Northwestern scored eight of the last 10 points and went to the break with a 27-22 advantage.

Rutgers pulled within two early in the second half on a Greg Lewis bucket, but Northwestern followed with the next seven points to open a 40-31 margin. Junior Etou then drilled a 3-pointer for Rutgers with 12 minutes left, but the Scarlet Knights went more than 10 minutes without another basket.

The Wildcats were unable to pull away, leading 44-37 with just over two minutes left when Mack scored four straight to pull Rutgers within three. The Wildcats twice missed the front end of a 1-and-1 to keep the Knights alive, but Rutgers missed five shots in that span before McIntosh hit one free throw.

Bishop Daniels' layup pulled Rutgers within 45-43 with 22 seconds to play and a trey by Daniels with two seconds left again drew the Scarlet Knights within two, but McIntosh sealed it with a pair from the stripe.