In a contest with significant Big Ten Tournament implications hanging in the balance, Northwestern rode a breakout performance from freshman guard K.J. Windham to down Iowa, 68-57.
The Wildcats (16-13, 7-11 Big Ten) entered the game with momentum after capturing their first two road wins of the season at Ohio State and Minnesota and continued their late-season renaissance before a packed Welsh-Ryan Arena Friday.
NU moved ahead of the Hawkeyes (15-14, 6-12 Big Ten) and a group of other teams in the win column, with many lingering near the 15-team cutoff line for a bid to the conference tournament.
Following a slow offensive start for both squads, a 10-0 NU run propelled the hosts to a 14-4 lead, primarily through gritty defense. Freshman guard K.J. Windham made five of NU’s points and grabbed two rebounds during this stretch.
Iowa rattled off three straight buckets — including two 3-pointers — to respond, but Windham cut the visitor’s momentum with a long-range shot of his own.
The two teams tussled for the remainder of the period as the Hawkeyes slowly sliced into NU’s lead. Still, the ’Cats took a four-point advantage into the break despite shooting a mere 32.1% from the floor.
Through 20 minutes, NU attempted 11 free throws compared to the Hawkeyes, who only stood at the charity stripe twice. The ’Cats also made the most of its six offensive rebounds, cashing them in for 10 second-chance first-half points compared to the Hawkeyes’ two.
Junior forward Nick Martinelli scored the ’Cats first two buckets in the second half as the two sides resumed trading buckets. NU then relied on points from seven scorers to maintain its tight lead.
Martinelli knocked in back-to-back baskets to regain NU’s double-digit lead near the 3-minute mark. Junior guard drilled a dagger three with just over two minutes remaining to put to bed all hopes of a Hawkeye comeback.
With the win, coach Chris Collins became the second-winningest coach in program history.
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s fixture against Iowa:
1. Windham’s breakout scoring propels NU to victory
Even before senior guard Brooks Barnhizer and graduate student guard Jalen Leach were ruled out for the season with injuries, NU struggled to fill the ball-handling gap left by its all-time leading scorer and prolific guard, Boo Buie.
While Windham’s team-leading 20 points were enough to turn heads on a night when the team’s production was otherwise well-balanced, he also commanded the floor.
After sophomore guard Jordan Clayton handled the ball early in his sixth consecutive start, Windham entered the game with 16:30 left in the first half and quickly took control.
Though the freshman had a few shaky moments early, missing passing opportunities that led to empty NU possessions, he soon found his rhythm.
Windham contributed to an early NU run with an off-the-dribble 3-pointer to put the ’Cats ahead 11-4 before leading the team to a halftime advantage. He scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting and collected three rebounds in the first period.
Windham then contributed with timely triples in the second half, knocking down a contested three to deliver NU a 46-38 advantage.
Windham had only scored double-digit points twice before Friday while averaging less than 15 minutes per game.
He became the third NU freshman to have multiple 20-point games in conference play since Stathead began tracking the stat in 2006.
2. Martinelli rebounds from dismal first-half to close strong
Martinelli — the Big Ten’s leading scoring leader — had been a steadfast force in the team’s previous two road wins, dropping 29 and 18 points, respectively. However, despite playing the entire first half Friday, Martinelli converted just one of eight field goal attempts through the opening 20 minutes.
But he wouldn’t allow that trend to last long.
The Glenview native scored NU’s first two baskets in the second half. Though he didn’t match his reliable scoring, he added timely baskets to lift the ’Cats to victory.
With under four minutes left to play, Martinelli sunk back-to-back buckets to regain the double-digit NU lead, which the team maintained to victory.
The southpaw’s 16-point effort continued a 22-game double-digit point streak.
3. Nicholson goes down early in the second half
At the 17:28 mark in the second half, graduate student center Matthew Nicholson proceeded to the locker room and did not return after taking a blow to the face from Hawkeye guard Josh Dix.
Nicholson had made a strong impact up to that point, especially on the defensive end, hauling six rebounds and recording three blocks.
Redshirt sophomore forward Luke Hunger and graduate student center Keenan Fitzmorris shared the deputizing responsibilities, combining for six points in the second half.
Fitzmorris immediately made an impact when his number was called upon, slamming a dunk and following up with a crucial rebound on the other end.
Before Friday’s tilt, Nicholson called the team’s final three matchups “the biggest games I’ve probably had in my college career.”
If he cannot suit up down the stretch, it will represent another severe blow for a squad that has already lost two top-three scorers in Barnhizer and Leach.
Email: kamrannia2027@u.northwestern.edu
X: @kamran_nia
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