Three Wildcats scored double-digit points as Northwestern leaned on its leading scorers and stout defense to beat Pepperdine 68-50 Friday night.
Senior guard Jalen Leach led the Wildcats (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) with 21 points after a second-half surge. Junior forward Nick Martinelli trailed him with 20 points, while senior guard Brooks Barnhizer added 13.
Barnhizer also logged three steals, contributing to NU’s 13 points off turnovers. The ’Cats have now won three straight games.
Barnhizer led the ’Cats’ early offense, including getting their first bucket from around the rim. He dominated on drives to the basket, scoring four of NU’s first eight points as they got out to an early 8-4 lead.
The ’Cats extended their advantage to 15-8 after junior guard Justin Mullins threw down an emphatic fast break slam halfway through the first half.
Pepperdine cut the ’Cats lead to three points with over five minutes remaining in the first half. However, NU answered after Barnhizer stuffed a Pepperdine layup against the backboard with under four minutes remaining in the first half.
About a minute later, Barnhizer stole a pass moments before Martinelli drained a three-pointer that secured the ’Cats their first double-digit lead, 26-16.
Martinelli followed that score with an and-one bucket and a floater, putting together a solo 7-0 run that put NU ahead 31-16.
Pepperdine scored a three-pointer in the final seconds of the first half, but NU led 31-19 at the break.
Both teams traded buckets early in the second half, with Leach featuring prominently. His and-one conversion put NU ahead 44-29 with around 13 minutes remaining in the second half.
Leach followed his three-point play with a three-pointer. Then, he converted another and-one as a part of a 9-2 run that put the ’Cats ahead 50-31, led entirely by him on offense.
Later, freshman guard K.J. Windham scored his first points with over seven minutes remaining in the contest to extend NU’s lead to 60-36.
The ’Cats cruised to victory as they unloaded their bench.
NU returns to action on Thursday against Butler.
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s clash:
1. Defense stands strong
The ’Cats logged one of their best defensive performances of the season, only allowing Pepperdine to score 50 points, the second-lowest this season. They tallied seven steals, 3 blocks and 13 points off turnovers.
NU’s defensive efforts were especially prominent in the first half, where it held Pepperdine to 19 points, often forcing the Waves to attempt late-in-the-shot-clock contested threes. The ’Cats also logged three steals and one block, capitalizing by scoring 11 points off turnovers.
2. Leach leads ’Cats offense
While Martinelli has been NU’s offensive leader, averaging just under 25 points, Leach led the ’Cats in the points category on Friday. His physical drives helped him covert multiple and-ones en route to a 21-point showing.
Leach scored all of NU’s points in a 9-2 second-half run that put the game practically out of reach for Pepperdine.
Martinelli was not far behind, notching 20 points.
3. ’Cats get first win ever versus Pepperdine
The ’Cats and the Waves have only faced off twice, both in 2000, with NU losing both times in one and two-point losses. However, the ’Cats beat the Wave for the first time on Friday in a game that was not close.
The ’Cats defense helped them gain a double-digit lead, and they left little room for the Waves to come back in the second half.
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