Northwestern ushered in a new era in Welsh-Ryan Arena on Monday night, where coach Chris Collins’s squad took on Lehigh in its 2024-25 season opener. 

Despite the absence of senior guard Brooks Barnhizer due to a lower-body injury, the Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) pummeled the Mountain Hawks (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League) in a wire-to-wire 90-46 victory. Junior forward Nick Martinelli led all scorers with 26 points and added 10 rebounds, notching a double-double.

Graduate student center Matthew Nicholson jammed home the campaign’s opening points on a fastbreak dunk as NU began the game on a 9-0 run. The ’Cats smothered Lehigh defensively, forcing a flurry of early turnovers and missed shots to establish an early edge.

NU held the Mountain Hawks without a make from the field for more than five minutes, and the ’Cats mounted the margin to 34-10 with six minutes remaining in the first half. With his squad’s hefty cushion, Collins experimented with various lineup alterations far earlier than expected.

Behind Martinelli’s 17 first-half points, NU raced out to a 51-15 halftime lead. The ’Cats converted their attempts at a 58% clip in the opening period, while Lehigh shot an ice-cold 19% from the floor.

The hosts maintained momentum following the break, extending their stronghold to 67-25 at the under-12 timeout.

With the result firmly in NU’s grasp, Collins rotated in his reserves as the ’Cats cruised to their 11th season-opening win of the 12-year Collins era.

Here are three takeaways from NU’s commanding victory over Lehigh.

1. Barnhizer’s absence opens window for Windham, co. to step up

A preseason All-Big Ten honoree, Barnhizer spent the bulk of the offseason rehabbing a lower-body injury. Although Collins expressed hope he’d have his marquee scorer available for opening night at Big Ten Media Days in October, Barnhizer was unavailable Monday.

Freshman guard K.J. Windham, a three-star recruit out of Indiana’s Ben Davis High School, earned the start in Barnhizer’s stead. He became the first Wildcat to start his collegiate debut since Casey Simmons in 2021.

The freshman flourished in his first career action, pushing the action with a veteran-esque presence.

As he did in the ’Cats’ exhibition against Lewis, Martinelli stepped into an elevated scoring role from tip-off, pacing the NU offense to an 18-7 lead at the under-12 timeout. Martinelli’s lethal left-handed arsenal caused a myriad of fits for the Mountain Hawk defense, which appeared helpless to quell the junior’s downpour.

2. The ’Cats wreaked havoc on the defensive end

NU’s defensive identity was a fundamental factor toward its first-ever consecutive NCAA tournament bids, with assistant coach Chris Lowery’s scheme reinvigorating a once-dormant program. 

While the ’Cats put forth an offensive firestorm Monday night, their effort on the floor’s opposite end proved essential to a dominant victory. NU surrendered just 15 points in the opening frame — the fewest points the program has surrendered in a first half since giving up 13 to Arizona State on Dec. 23, 2023.

The ’Cats garnered five early steals and didn’t let the visitors find their shooting touch. Apart from Lehigh guard Tyler Whitney-Sidney’s eight first-half points, no Mountain Hawk eclipsed three points during the first 20 minutes of action.

Lehigh’s shooting struggles persisted into the second period, with NU forcing its Patriot League foe into a lengthy scoring lull.

3. Hunger carves out early sixth-man role

When Nicholson went down with a broken foot late in NU’s conference slate last season, redshirt sophomore forward Luke Hunger was thrust into a starting role ahead of the Big Ten tournament and March Madness. He battled with several highly touted bigs, including then-FAU center Vladislav Goldin and UConn center Donovan Clingan.

Nicholson returned to his starting spot Monday, but Hunger heard his name called off the bench early in the contest. The redshirt sophomore tallied a career-high 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

The Montreal native flashed his ability to stretch the floor, canning several early jumpers — including a buzzer-beater corner 3-pointer. Hunger even brought the ball up the floor as a point-forward-esque player on multiple occasions.

Collins’ lineup will shift with Barnhizer’s imminent return, but Hunger signaled he’s primed for an elevated minutes’ share on opening night.

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