In Northwestern’s Wednesday win over Indiana, graduate student guard Ty Berry looked back and better than ever.
The Newton, Kansas native scored a team-high 23 points en route to the Wildcats’ (12-7, 3-5 Big Ten) 79-70 win over the Hoosiers (14-6, 5-4 Big Ten).
The game’s opening minutes were error-riddled, with each team committing three turnovers before the first media timeout. NU headed into that break ahead 8-5, buoyed by a made three by junior forward Nick Martinelli and senior guard Brooks Barnhizer’s mid-range jumper.
In his third consecutive game in the sixth-man role, Berry injected life into the ’Cats first-half offense, scoring 11 straight points midway through the contest’s opening 20 minutes.
Indiana responded with an 8-0 run, led by strong offensive rebounding and consecutive trips to the free throw line.
A barren offensive run ensued, with neither side making a field goal in over five minutes between the 7:23 and 2:16 marks in the first half. The Hoosiers ended that run with a layup to tie the game at 25-25.
By the break, Indiana led 31-25, as coach Chris Collins’s squad missed its last 12 field goals to end the opening period.
NU found its footing again early in the second half, taking a 39-37 lead on an 8-0 run that included threes from Berry and Martinelli.
After Berry converted on another pair of triples that gave the ’Cats a five point lead, IU forward Luke Goode replied with a couple threes of his own, putting the Hoosiers back ahead 50-49.
From there, NU exploded from three-point range. After Berry restored the Wildcats’ lead with another trey, it was his fellow graduate student guard Jalen Leach’s turn to shine. Leach converted threes on three consecutive offensive possessions, putting NU in front 65-54.
As the final seconds ticked off, the ’Cats insulated their win from the charity stripe.
Barnhizer went down hard on a breakaway dunk with 16 seconds remaining but walked off the court on his own power.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s victory over the Spartans.
1. Berry renaissance reaches new heights
When Collins decided to bench Berry ahead of last Thursday’s clash against Maryland, he called the move a “reset.”
Heading into that game, the three-point specialist had struggled from distance, shooting just 1-12 from long range in his previous three games.
Not only has the graduate student reset, he appeared to have taken his game to a whole new level. Berry made a career-high seven threes and led the ‘Cats with 23 points.
Around the midway point of the first half, Berry took over. He scored 11 points in just over three minutes, including an 8-0 unanswered run on his own. Berry first sank two threes, the second of which came off-the-dribble from way downtown — then, after a floater from the free throw line, he connected on yet another triple to put NU up 23-13.
Berry only attempted one more shot in the opening half as the ’Cats offense floundered, but became a crucial spark plug out of the break. He splashed another four shots from beyond the arc, leading NU back into a 54-52 lead.
2. Early momentum undone by visitors’ first-half run
When Berry hit his third three-pointer of the game at the 9:35 mark of the first half, Welsh-Ryan Arena erupted and the Hoosiers were forced to take a timeout. NU had taken a 23-13 lead, its largest of the game to that point.
Remarkably, that was the last field goal the ’Cats would make in the first half.
NU’s poor shooting allowed Indiana to go on an 18-2 run which put it ahead six points at halftime. It was an all too familiar sight for Collins, whose team had surrendered similar first-half runs in earlier losses this season.
In its first conference game at Iowa, a 12-2 Hawkeye run in the latter stages of the first half put the ’Cats in a halftime hole. At Mackey Arena, NU gave up 10 unanswered points to Purdue, which proved fatal. Against Michigan State at home, the Spartans went on a 24-3 run over nearly 10 minutes that they never looked back from.
While Northwestern was able to right the ship in a barnstorming second half, it can seldom afford more extended scoreless periods in a conference as strong as the Big Ten.
3. NU holds serve at home
With four of NU’s five conference losses this season coming on the road, the importance of winning home games cannot be understated.
On Wednesday, the ’Cats kept pace with a crucial home win in a game it threatened to drop after an offensive collapse in the second portion of the first half.
NU will travel to No. 17 Illinois Sunday, looking to complete the season sweep over its in-state rivals. While that game is poised to be an uphill battle, the Wildcats can get to .500 in the Big Ten without winning a road game as they subsequently return to Evanston for a three-game homestand.
The ’Cats still have road matchups against Big Ten cellar-dwellers Washington (10-9, 1-7 Big Ten) and Minnesota (10-9, 2-6 Big Ten) to come on their schedule, constituting two plausible opportunities to get back on track for a winning conference season.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Rapid Recap: No. 20 Michigan 80, Northwestern 76 (OT)
— Men’s Basketball: Northwestern snaps slump with overtime buzzer-beater against Maryland
— Men’s Basketball: Fine margins finally go Northwestern’s way in 76-74 OT win over Maryland