Eight days after a dominant 20-point win over DePaul, Northwestern faced its final non-conference test of the season against intercardinal directional foe Northeastern at home.
The matchup marked the first meeting between the two programs in 31 years, with the Wildcats (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) having won the previous encounter by 27 points. This time, after a slow start that saw the ’Cats fall behind by as many as 13, NU rallied for a comfortable victory, defeating the Huskies (8-5, 0-0 CAA) 85-60 Sunday.
Graduate student guard Ty Berry led all NU scorers with 23 points, his best performance of the season. Berry scored his 1000th career point Sunday.
NU wasted no time forcing a turnover on the opening possession but couldn’t capitalize, allowing its opponents to strike first with a three-pointer.
Graduate student guard Jalen Leach committed two turnovers at half court within the first two minutes — an early sign that NU would be tested in its ability to break Northeastern’s aggressive press.
Graduate student guard Ty Berry was fouled for the team’s first two points, but despite early opportunities, the ’Cats quickly found themselves down by 12 after five different players missed consecutive looks.
NU didn’t make a field goal for the first five minutes of the contest. By the under-12 media timeout, NU was shooting just 2-of-12 from the floor — including an ugly 0-for-8 from three-point range.
Down by ten, junior guard Nick Martinelli stepped to the free-throw line but missed two consecutive shots with 10:47 remaining in the first half. However, an 8-0 run — highlighted by a fast-break from a previously quiet Berry — narrowed the deficit to four, the closest the ’Cats had been since the opening minute.
By the end of the half, NU led by two, thanks to three-point buckets from Leach and Berry.
After the break, the ’Cats returned to the court with a vengeance — opening the second half on a 21-4 run over five minutes and quickly leading a game in which they had previously trailed by double digits, by 17.
From there, the hosts continued to dominate. Four ’Cats scored in double digits, with Berry and Barnhizer notching over 20 points.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s win over Northeastern Sunday.
1. Slow start, strong finish
Against DePaul last week, Northwestern shot a perfect 9-of-9 from the field in the game’s opening minutes. But on Sunday, against Northeastern, the ’Cats had the exact opposite start, failing to convert on their first eight shots until Martinelli broke the drought with his signature hook shot.
By then, Northwestern was already down by 12, and Northeastern showed no signs of slowing down.
After missing their first eight three-point attempts, the ’Cats found their rhythm, knocking down five triples to close out the first half and take a two-point lead into the break. Though NU’s shooting came alive at just the right time, much of the game’s turnaround can be attributed to the defense.
When a rough offensive start, which included three first-half turnovers by Leach, put the ’Cats in an early hole, they tightened up on the other end of the court, disrupting Northeastern’s offensive sets and capitalizing on 22 Huskies turnovers for 34 points.
2. Ty Berry wakes up, scores 1000th career point
Over the past five seasons, NU is 36-11 when Ty Berry scores in double figures. On Sunday, Berry not only led all NU scorers with 23 points but also hit a career milestone, scoring his 1000th point.
It’s been a sluggish start to the season for Berry, who had reached double digits just six times before Sunday, with NU winning five of those contests. Outside of a 20-point performance against Iowa, he’s battled inconsistency, failing to score in three games and tallying fewer than five points in two others.
But against Northeastern, Berry found his rhythm, scoring 12 points in the first half. His contributions included two fast-break layups and a pair of three-pointers — an area where he had struggled early in the year — helping to fuel the ’Cats’ offense when they couldn’t buy a bucket early on.
3. Big Ten play on the horizon
Following its win over Northeastern, coach Chris Collins’s group will shift its focus to Big Ten play with two road games in the next seven days.
In a conference where road victories are notoriously difficult to come by, the ‘Cats will look to set the tone early. They’ll begin with a Thursday matchup at Penn State, followed by a Sunday tilt at Purdue.
Last season, seven of NU’s eight Big Ten losses came away from home, but they did manage a rare road win at Penn State. They’ll look to replicate that success on Thursday.
Penn State, Purdue and NU all went 1-1 in their conference matchups before the holiday break, each winning at home and dropping their road game.
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Twitter: @AudreyPachuta
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