Just three nights after dropping an 80-79 heartbreaker at Iowa, Northwestern took on No. 19 Illinois in a Friday night rivalry tilt at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
In an overtime matchup where every point came at a premium, the Wildcats (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) knocked off the Fighting Illini (6-2, 0-1 Big Ten) in Evanston for the third consecutive season. Junior forward Nick Martinelli led all scorers with 27 points.
Although Illinois made four of its first six shots, four visiting turnovers and a quickfire four points from graduate student guard Jalen Leach kept a cold-shooting NU within two points at the under-16 timeout.
After both squads went scoreless for more than four minutes, senior guard Brooks Barnhizer gave the ’Cats their first lead of the night with a triple. But the advantage lasted a mere possession as the Fighting Illini drained a 3-pointer at the opposite end to take an 11-9 edge with 11:35 remaining in the first half.
With neither team eclipsing a 40% clip from the field, Illinois held a 15-14 margin at the under-eight timeout. During a period bereft of highlights, Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic pulled off a show-stopping behind-the-back pass, which forward Will Riley quickly capitalized on for a post score.
Following a last second Leach layup, NU entered the halftime break down 27-24.
Fresh off the break, both teams appeared to push the tempo a few notches, with Illinois committing another two early turnovers. Behind a pair of Barnhizer buckets, the ’Cats recaptured a 34-33 lead with 16 minutes remaining in the game. But a 7-0 Fighting Illini run gave Illinois a 40-34 with 12:47 to play.
While the visitors stretched their lead to 10 points with just over 10 minutes remaining, an 8-0 NU run kept the ’Cats in contention down the stretch. With the score knotted at 56-56, Barnhizer attempted the would-be winner from beyond the arc, but his shot wouldn’t go as the rivalry clash charged into overtime.
Martinelli dictated the action early in the extra period, fueling the hosts’ upset victory.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s overtime win over Illinois.
1. The ’Cats hold the potent Fighting Illini offense in check early
In six of its first seven games, Illinois converted double-digit 3-pointers. The Fighting Illini had eclipsed 80 points in all but one contest ahead of Big Ten play, averaging 89.1 points per game — good for the No. 9 scoring offense in the nation.
Facing perhaps the most potent band of scorers they’d come across thus far, the ’Cats more than held their own in the opening frame. NU held Illinois to a season-low 27 first-half points, surrendering just two makes from beyond the arc.
Coach Chris Collins has consistently stressed that this season’s identity is rooted in the team’s collective defensive effort. With an even 20-20 rebounding margin, five Fighting Illini turnovers and three blocks, the ’Cats lived up to their lofty defensive billing in the face of a potential powerhouse program.
2. NU’s shooters struggle to take the lid off basket
Friday night marked another ice-cold start for the ’Cats’ offense. NU knocked down just 11-of-35 first-half attempts, converting 3-pointers at a 2-of-12 clip. It was more of the same from Collins’ squad, which has yet to string together stretches of offensive consistency in 2024.
Barnhizer and Martinelli — the team’s two top scorers who both entered the matchup averaging more than 20 points per game — combined for 11 points in the first frame on a 26.32% field goal percentage.
The ’Cats gradually looked toward Leach for any semblance of consistency, and the Fairfield transfer poured in a team-high eight points ahead of the break. Outside of Leach, NU made less than 30% of its attempts in the opening 20 minutes.
Had it not been for a standout defensive performance and Martinelli’s second-half resurgence, Collins’ team may have stared down an 0-2 conference record.
3. Berry regresses from conference opener
Graduate student guard Ty Berry had an opening month to forget in his fifth season of college basketball. Although he scored 10 points in his return from a meniscus tear against Lehigh on Nov. 4, Berry was held in the single digits in each of his final four conference games.
However, No. 3 showed flashes of his standout senior campaign Tuesday night at Iowa, where he poured in 20 points and nailed 5-of-9 3-pointers.
For the ’Cats to knock off their first ranked opponent of the season, Collins’ bunch needed reliable scoring apart from its stars. In past seasons, that onus would fall on Berry, but that wasn’t the case Friday night.
Instead, the graduate student seldom found any looks and was a relative nonfactor Friday night, going scoreless for the third game this season.
Email: [email protected]
X: @jakeepste1n
Related Stories:
— Rapid Recap: Iowa 80, Northwestern 79
— Men’s Basketball: Barnhizer’s 23 points power Northwestern to 66-61 win over UNLV
