Northwestern fell to Rutgers 79-72 Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
It was the Wildcats’ (12-9, 3-7 Big Ten) second home loss this season and their fourth loss to the Scarlet Knights (11-10, 4-6 Big Ten) in the last five matchups in Evanston.
After taking an early 13-4 lead, NU conceded 24 first-half points to Rutgers forward Bailey, the second-most points the ’Cats have allowed to one player in a game this season, and by far the most in one half. Though NU kept the score close to start the second half, the Rutgers lead never dipped below seven points in the final 13 minutes of the contest. Bailey finished the game with 37 points, his third 30-point game of 2025. Despite the loss, graduate student guard Jalen Leach recorded his fourth-consecutive game with more than 15 points, and freshman guard Angelo Ciaravino added a career-high three blocks.
The ’Cats will continue their homestand against No. 17 Wisconsin this Saturday.