On the heels of a tight defeat at Washington, Northwestern aimed to salvage its trip to the Pacific Northwest with a win in its Tuesday tilt with Oregon.
In a game that got out of hand early on, the Wildcats (13-12, 4-10 Big Ten), couldn’t overcome a 14-point halftime deficit and fell to the Ducks (17-8, 6-8 Big Ten) 81-75.
Following missed 3-point attempts by junior guard Justin Mullins and sophomore guard Jordan Clayton to start the game, Clayton opened the scoring for NU with a mid-range jumper.
As junior forward Nick Martinelli—who averages 19.9 points per game—got off to a slow start and didn’t record a shot in the game’s opening five minutes, NU quickly fell into a seven-point hole. But three-straight buckets tied it up at 11 apeice.
Coach Chris Collins’s squad shot 38.5% from the field in the first half, compared to Oregon’s 50%, while early turnovers compounded its struggles.
With just over a minute left in the first half, Oregon’s lead ballooned to 17 points—its largest advantage over a Big Ten opponent this season—before a triple by graduate student guard Ty Berry made it 39-25.
Coming out of the break, NU showed renewed energy, with Clayton, Mullins, Martinelli and Berry each scoring within the first two minutes of the half.
Unfortunately for the ’Cats, their hot second-half start was in vain, as the Ducks shot a perfect 6-for-6 on their initial attempts to protect their advantage.
As final minutes ticked down, Oregon saw its lofty lead disappear as Berry and freshman guard K.J. Windham combined for 32 second-half points to keep the game competitive until the final moments.
Late trips to the free-throw line allowed the Ducks to seal the result.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s loss at Oregon:
1. First-half turnovers add insult to injury
When shots aren’t falling for the ‘Cats, they often rely on solid ball control to maintain a competitive edge.
Heading into Tuesday’s game, NU led the Big Ten with just 9.6 turnovers per game, but in Tuesday’s loss, ball security troubles in the opening 20 minutes allowed the Ducks to jump out to a convincing lead early on.
Collins’s team committed eight turnovers in the first half, compared to Oregon’s three. With just under 16 minutes left in the half, Clayton’s consecutive errant passes led to five quick points for Oregon as it extended its lead to seven.
While NU ended up losing the ball just 11 times on the day, its early miscues allowed its opponents to run away with a lead it could never overcome.
2. Windham steps up amid injury crisis
With two of their top three leading scorers—senior guard Brooks Barnhizer and graduate student guard Jalen Leach—ruled out with season-ending injuries, the ’Cats have relied on unexpected contributors.
In Tuesday’s loss, Windham emerged as a key offensive asset.
Oregon’s lead grew as large as 17 points before Windham’s 15 second-half points helped bring the game within reach in the final minutes. With 5:11 left to play, the 6-foot-3 guard sank his fourth 3-pointer of the game to trim the deficit to just five points.
Windham finished the game with a career-high 20 points, in addition to two rebounds and three assists.
Windham’s performance was the highest scoring output by an NU freshman since former guard Boo Buie scored 25 points on Dec. 21 2019 against DePaul.
3. Frantic pace gets out of hand
With just about two and a half minutes remaining in the first half, Berry grabbed a defensive rebound after an Oregon long-range attempt bounced off the rim and back beyond the arc. He took the ball the length of the court and found Mullins in transition, but his shot was blocked at the rim.
On the next possession, Martinelli had a fast-break opportunity, but his shot was also blocked.
Then, it happened again.
As the ’Cats struggled to capitalize on set offensive plays—shooting just 2-of-9 from three-point range in the first half— they weren’t able to use transition opportunities to turn the tide in their favor.
Email: audreypachuta2027@u.northwestern.edu
Related Stories:
— Rapid Recap: Washington 76, Northwestern 71
— Men’s Basketball: Martinelli’s game-winning floater leads Northwestern to 77-75 victory over USC
