EVANSTON, Ill. -- Nathan Taphorn has a bigger role for Northwestern after injuries have limited the Wildcats depth.The senior forward came off the bench and showed what he can do on offense Sunday night against New Orleans -- and maybe even surprised some people.Taphorn grabbed a rebound and dunked it for a 19-point lead before halftime as the crowd cheered.Guys were telling me they didnt know I had it in me, Taphorn said.Taphorn scored a career-high 18 points as Northwestern routed New Orleans 83-49.Wildcats coach Chris Collins said the team has witnessed Taphorns athleticism in practice.He can be a real weapon for us coming off the bench, Collins said. We almost won the Notre Dame game because of him. Hes a big part of what were doing, especially now were down a couple guys.Scottie Lindsey added 16 points, Gavin Skelly 14 and Vic Law 11 for the Wildcats (7-2), who led by as much as 41 and have won four straight.Erik Thomas had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Travin Thibodeaux added 10 points for New Orleans (4-4), whose three-game winning streak was snapped.Northwestern shot 44 percent from the field to the Privateers 37 percent, including 3 for 12 from beyond the arc.Taphorn went 7 for 11 from the field -- including 3 for 7 on 3s. He also had 12 points and five points in a 70-66 loss to No. 23 Notre Dame.Its a big booster, Taphorn said about his confidence. It shouldnt be the case -- every game should be the game I come out knowing Im confident and able to do this and able to do that and make an impact on the game and for my team. Going into the next game, seeing the ball go in really helps, as it would with anybody.The Wildcats made 9 of 25 3-pointers and scored 23 points off New Orleans 21 turnovers.You cant win any games when you turn the ball over at the rate we did, New Orleans coach Mark Slessinger said.After the Privateers scored the first two points of the second half, the Wildcats went on a 22-0 run to command a 65-24 lead.The Wildcats led 43-22 at halftime after shooting 46 percent from the field to New Orleans 32 percent.We didnt execute offensively and didnt play well at all in any facet, Slessinger said.INJURY UPDATENorthwestern sophomore forward Aaron Falzon underwent season-ending knee surgery after he played just 20 minutes in three games this season. He is expected to seek a medical redshirt and would have three seasons of eligibility remaining. Falzon averaged 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 32 games last season. He also made 63 3-pointers, second-most in program history by a freshman.Taphorn will help replace Falzon, Collins said.The team is also without center Dererk Pardon, who is expected to miss the rest of the non-conference schedule after undergoing hand surgery.STAT OF THE NIGHTNorthwesterns bench outscored New Orleans reserves 41-10.BIG PICTURENew Orleans was coming off a 70-54 victory at Washington State. Half of the Privateers victories have been against non-Division I foes, LaGrange College and Florida College.Northwestern improved to 6-0 at home. The Wildcats are in the middle of playing eight straight games in the Chicago area before beginning Big Ten play on Dec. 27 at Penn State.UP NEXTNew Orleans will host Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday.Northwestern will face visiting Chicago State on Wednesday. NFL Jerseys Cheap . 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The United States won the team gold medal on Tuesday, topping second-place Russia by more than eight points and winning over fans the world over. The gymnasts ?incredible dominance won them praise as the best team ever by many experts, and it was hard to find any faults with their dazzling performance.However, because its 2016 and the Twitter crowd can always find something to criticize, the gymternet turned its attention on Gabby Douglas and her hand position during the medal ceremony. While the national anthem was being played, Douglas kept her hands by her side while her teammates held one hand over their hearts. People were outraged and called her things like disrespectful and unpatriotic on social media..ddddddddddddours later, Douglas took to Twitter to address the controversy and apologized to those offended. Saying she Always stand[s] at attention out of respect for our country whenever the national anthem is played, she went on to insist she meant no disrespect.OK, everyone? Are we cool now? Of course Douglas loves her country, and since shes now helped bring home three gold medals, I think its time we cut her just a little bit of slack here. U-S-A! U-S-A!See something entertaining on social media that you think deserves to be shared? Let me know on Twitter, @darcymaine_espn. ' ' '