Coming off a dominant win over Pepperdine last Friday, Northwestern traveled to Tempe, Arizona for a Thanksgiving tilt against Butler.
In their opening match of a two-game, two-day stint at the Arizona Tip-off Tournament, the Wildcats (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten) fell to the Bulldogs (5-1, 0-0 Big East) 71-69.
Senior guard Brooks Barnhizer wasted no time getting on the board, drilling a midrange jumper on the opening possession. But after that, the offense went cold. By the under-12 timeout, Butler had strung together an 11-0 run, while the ‘Cats were stuck at just 2-of-15 shooting, enduring a three-and-a-half minute scoring drought.
As the first half progressed, Coach Chris Collins’ squad found itself in a 15-point hole at the six-minute mark, with back-to-back three-pointers from Butler putting the game in danger of slipping away. But freshman guard K.J. Windham offered a spark, answering with a triple of his own to momentarily stall the Bulldogs’ momentum and give NU a much-needed lifeline.
While shooting woes from the floor continued, NU managed to stay within striking distance by capitalizing on free throws. After an ugly 0-5 start from the line this season — including two consecutive air balls against Pepperdine — graduate center Matt Nicholson went 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the first half to help keep the Wildcats within reach.
The ‘Cats found their rhythm in the first half’s final minutes, outpacing their opponents on a 13-2 run as the clock wound down to make it a two-possession game headed into the break.
By three minutes into the second half, NU trailed by just one point after graduate student guard Jalen Leach converted on a fast-break layup.
As the second half wore on, NU struggled to bridge a two-possession gap, with starting lineup mainstays like graduate student guard Ty Berry and sophomore guard Nick Martinelli both struggling to find the basket.
With six and a half minutes left to play, Berry drained a triple and Leach followed up with a jumper to give the ‘Cats their first lead since the game’s opening minutes.
Nicholson notched five points in the contest’s final two minutes to give him a season-high 14 points.
But the Bulldogs’ first-half frenzy proved too much to overcome as the ‘Cats couldn’t mount the comeback.
Though a Barnhizer half-court heave sunk with nine seconds left, referees ruled he was fouled before he got the shot off. A Butler player went 1-for-2 at the free throw line before two last-second attempts – one from Barnhizer and another from Martinelli, rimmed out.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s loss to Butler.
1. Ice-cold offense gets out of hand early on
What started as a promising opening possession quickly spiraled as NU’s offense went ice-cold. After converting on their first trip down the floor, the ‘Cats couldn’t buy a bucket, with even their most reliable shooters struggling to find the net.
Barnhizer led the way with 11 points in the first half, but the rest of the team shot just 5-of-20 from the field.
While NU clawed back within striking distance by the end of the first half, a double-digit deficit after 10 minutes of play gave the ‘Cats an uphill battle to struggle with throughout the game.
2. Nick Martinelli’s shooting struggles
Martinelli, who’s been a standout for NU this season—especially in the absence of Barnhizer during his four-game injury hiatus—entered Thursday averaging 23.8 points per game, good for fifth in the nation. But against the Bulldogs, Martinelli struggled early. He finished the first half with a 1-of-7 shooting clip and didn’t convert until just 2:41 before the break.
After notching double-digit figures in the season’s first six games including five 20-plus point performances, Martinelli never found his groove Thursday, finishing the game with seven points on 3-of-15 shooting.
3. NU will prepare to take on Mississippi State or UNLV tomorrow
Following Thursday’s loss, the ‘Cats will look towards a Friday matchup against Mississippi State or UNLV.
After falling to Mississippi State in last year’s Hall of Fame Tip-Off Thanksgiving tournament championship, NU could be in line for a rematch on Friday if the Bulldogs fall to UNLV in Thursday’s other semifinal match.
Heading into Thursday’s game, Mississippi State and UNLV have been off to strong starts, with the Bulldogs still undefeated and the Rebels carrying just one loss on the season.
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Twitter: @AudreyPachuta
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