Northwestern rode a 59-point second-half effort to a dominant win over Illinois State in its final exhibition matchup before it kicks off its regular season in just five days.
Senior forward Nick Martinelli led all scorers with 21 points, while junior center Arrinten Page recovered from early foul trouble to score 16 points in just 10 minutes.
NU exhibited proficiency in most phases of the game as they turned to small-ball lineups during Page’s time on the bench.
Despite a sluggish offensive start — taking an 8-6 deficit into the first media timeout and sinking just two of their first nine field goal attempts — NU jumped ahead to a 24-18 lead after Martinelli and Sophomore guard K.J. Windham nailed back-to-back threes.
Still, the ’Cats kept their visitors at arm’s length for the remainder of the half and headed into the intermission leading 41-34.
The home side opened its lead early in the second period as freshman forward Tre Singleton and Ciaravino heated up, scoring nine of NU’s first 14 second-half points to take a 55-40 lead, extending that advantage to 62-43 as its small-ball lineup excelled with pacey play.
From there, the game got out of hand as NU led by as many as 37, walking out of its first Welsh-Ryan Arena contest with a statement win over the preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorites.
Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s exhibition:
1. Jayden Reid debuts for NU
After Reid, a junior transfer from South Florida, missed NU’s opening exhibition contest at Iowa State with an ankle injury, he excelled while manning the point for the ’Cats.
The 5-foot-10 point guard’s presence in the backcourt appeared to ease the turnover issues that plagued NU in its defeat to Iowa State, when it coughed up the ball on 17 occasions. Reid finished the game with 11 assists and one turnover, and the ’Cats collectively turned it away just five times.
Following an 0-for-2 start from the field, Reid tallied his first points near the midpoint of the first period, grabbing his own rebound off a missed free throw and following up for an and-one layup. He made no mistake from the charity stripe the second time of asking, completing the three-point play.
Early in the second half, Reid displayed his playmaking savvy, breezing past a defender to get under the basket and kicking it out to Singleton for a wide-open mid-range jumper.
Just before the 12-minute mark of the second period, Reid showed just why Collins had been raving about his ability to transform his offense into a high-tempo, transition threat.
After grabbing a defensive rebound, Reid exploded past several Redbirds and went coast-to-coast for an easy layup. On the next possession, Reid again looked to push the ball up the floor, this time kicking it out to Windham for a three from the right wing to put NU ahead 62-43.
From that point on, the Westbury, New York, native was in his element, showing off his electrifying speed to create buckets for his teammates. If Reid can replicate that form once the regular season gets underway, the ’Cats will be in business in transition.
2. Small-ball lineups pass early test
With one true center expected to play a meaningful role this season, NU relied on a variety of small-ball lineups featuring Martinelli, Singleton or freshman forward Tyler Kropp at the five.
During the early minutes without Page, Redbirds center Chase Walker feasted on Martinelli, scoring back-to-back baskets in the paint. On those occasions, Martinelli shared the court with Reid, Windham, junior guard Jordan Clayton and senior guard Justin Mullins — a notable departure from Collins’ reliance on at least two of Martinelli, Singleton and Kropp for the Page-less minutes.
But later, as Collins adjusted to a bigger small-ball lineup, the defense settled in and NU displayed tremendous offensive potency with quick play. In the second half, they scored 59 points compared to 41 in the first half.
The showing was a promising sign for the ’Cats as they excelled in most phases of the game. Page ended up returning to the contest around the middle of the second half, exhibiting three-level scoring in a 13-point second-period effort.
Soon after checking in, Page scored eight points in the span of 46 seconds with three free throws, a triple and a dunk.
3. Windham lets the three ball fly
After a red-hot finish to his freshman campaign, Windham played only six minutes at Iowa State, racking up three personal fouls and, in the short span, finishing a minus-9.
But Collins suggested his sparse usage wasn’t a sign of things to come, and so it proved Wednesday. Windham finished the night with 12 points, shooting 4-for-6 from distance and looking at ease in NU’s backcourt.
The Indianapolis native started the contest 2-for-2 from beyond the arc as he surpassed his previous game’s minutes total in the first half.
Even with a defender leaping at him, Windham sank a corner three to extend the ’Cats lead to 66-47 around the midway point of the second half.
The ’Cats kick off their season in earnest Monday against Mercyhurst at 7 p.m.
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