Four days after Northwestern decisively dealt with Nebraska at home Wednesday, coach Chris Collins and co. returned to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a Super Bowl Sunday showdown against Penn State.
With their lone road conference victory coming against the Nittany Lions (12-12, 6-7 Big Ten) on Jan. 10, the Wildcats (17-7, 8-5 Big Ten) looked to complete the season sweep Sunday afternoon.
Both teams struggled to score at the game’s outset, combining for 14 points by the first media timeout. Senior center Matthew Nicholson’s hook shot opened the scoring for NU, while junior guard Brooks Barnhizer’s 3-pointer knotted the contest at 7-7.
After the ‘Cats were unable to take the proverbial lid off the basket, sophomore forward Luke Hunger’s 3-pointer gave the hosts their first lead of the afternoon at 10-8. A few possessions later, graduate student guard Ryan Langborg capitalized off an offensive rebound, canning a trey to extend NU’s lead to three with a hair under 12 minutes remaining in the first frame.
Midway through the first frame, the ‘Cats started turning defense into offense. Sophomore forward Nick Martinelli’s steal led to Nicholson’s fastbreak dunk on the other end.
During the half’s waning moments, both teams exchanged leads.
Penn State capitalized off NU’s sloppy initial play, using a 6-0 run to take an 18-16 lead. Minutes later, graduate student guard Boo Buie’s and-one layup helped the ‘Cats jump out to a 29-25 lead — their largest of the first frame.
Out of the locker room, scoring problems persisted for both teams. Sparked by Nicholson and Buie’s and-one conversions, NU recorded its first points three minutes into the frame.
Following Martinelli and Buie’s layups midway through the second half, the ‘Cats extended their lead to 48-40 — their largest of the afternoon. A few possessions later, Martinelli eclipsed double figures on a backdoor cut.
With less than four minutes remaining, the Nittany Lions trimmed NU’s lead to as low as one. Martinelli’s pair of free throws snapped a near-four minute ‘Cats scoring drought.
Behind Langborg’s trey and Nicholson’s second-chance dunk, NU pulled away from the visitors late, keeping their perfect home conference record alive.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s victory over Penn State.
1. Martinelli makes first career start
After suffering a knee injury in Wednesday’s victory over Nebraska, senior guard Ty Berry was ruled out of Sunday’s contest — setting Martinelli in line for his first career start.
Racing out on the court to a chorus of cheers, the Glenview, Illinois native was heavily involved on offense early on. Martinelli’s assist set up the ‘Cats’ first points of the afternoon. Minutes later, the sophomore forward tallied his first points off his signature left-handed hook shot.
While those points were all Martinelli managed to muster by halftime, his four rebounds and two assists were especially pivotal as NU exchanged leads with the Nittany Lions. The sophomore led the ‘Cats offensively following the intermission, tallying nine second-half points.
Martinelli wasn’t the only Wildcat to see an uptick in playtime. As a result of a thin-rotation, coach Chris Collins slotted in sophomore guard Blake Smith for his first minutes of the season. Smith saw the court for two one-minute stretches through the game’s first 20 minutes.
2. Sloppy play plagues NU’s early effort
With a noon tipoff, Sunday’s student section at Welsh-Ryan Arena paled in comparison to recent bouts. The underwhelming student turnout appeared to make matters difficult for NU’s offense to generate energy early on. Tossing away multiple errant passes, the ‘Cats struggled running their usual seamless offense that has given them success over the season.
With Buie struggling from the field, and the ‘Cats shooting at a measly 8-of-28 clip from the field, the hosts couldn’t afford ill-advised plays. The Nittany Lions capitalized on the hosts’ miscues, using multiple scoring runs to exchange blows with NU.
Through five minutes, the ‘Cats accumulated three turnovers, and NU entered the intermission with five giveaways.
In the second frame, NU had more success taking care of the ball — having only one turnover.
3. Defensive and rebounding efforts hold visitors in check
While the ‘Cats have made offense their bread and butter this season, valiant defense prolled the hosts Sunday.
As NU’s offense struggled, the squad’s defense kept them within striking distance entering the intermission.
The ‘Cats made matters difficult for Penn State’s offense beyond the arc and in passing lanes. By contesting multiple Nittany Lions shots late in the shot clock and deflecting several passes, NU held the visitors to a 2-of-8 clip from deep while forcing seven turnovers over the first frame.
Meanwhile, the ‘Cats capitalized on 10 offensive rebounds, tallying 16 second-chance points. On the other end, the Nittany Lions recorded just one second-chance point off a lone offensive rebound entering the intermission.
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