When senior forward Nick Martinelli sank a signature flipper for his first points Monday night, his role in Evanston began its final stage. 

After progressing from a back-end bench piece to last season’s Big Ten leading scorer, anyone could tell you that Martinelli would be the centerpiece of the team this season. As one of just three seniors on the roster, he will look to help a myriad of newcomers grow and adjust in coach Chris Collins’ system. 

During the Wildcats’ (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) 70-47 defeat of Mercyhurst on opening night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Martinelli contributed 17 points. After being announced to the Naismith Player of the Year Watch List Monday, he made his presence known to the Lakers (0-1, 0-0 NEC) across both ends of the floor. 

“(Martinelli) gave us that 11-point lead heading into the second half,” Collins said postgame. 

Three possessions after his first make, NU started spreading the floor around Martinelli. The ’Cats passed the ball around the horn, with each player controlling possession before it made its way to Martinelli, who banked in an open three-pointer.

As a three-level scoring threat, Martinelli possesses a magnetism on the floor, forcing defenders into uncomfortable situations. This allows him to showcase his foul-drawing ability, which was particularly noticeable during this contest. In the first eight minutes, NU drew seven fouls and Martinelli was on the receiving end of five of them. 

After reaching the bonus early on, the ’Cats didn’t shy away from drawing fouls. NU took advantage of its numerous trips to the line, scoring 16 of its 36 points from free throws during the first half, with Martinelli shooting a perfect 8-for-8. 

Conversely, in the second half, he shot 0-for-3 from the line and scored just two points while failing to record an assist. Collins emphasized the need for adjustments, citing a play where Martinelli failed to recognize a trap and turned the ball over before he could hit an open teammate.

“On that one where they stripped him in the middle of the floor, he should have made the pass to the corner,” Collins said. “These are all good learning moments for him.”

On a number of possessions, the veteran sat on the wing and let his teammates go to work. Singleton and junior center Arrinten Page served as the main shot-takers, and Page in particular showed off his ability to get to the line just as Martinelli did. 

Four minutes into the game, Page received a pass from senior guard Justin Mullins and began his conquest of the post. He boxed out his defender, hit multiple jab steps with his right foot and swished the shot.

“It’s his fourth year around this coaching staff,” Page said of Martinelli postgame. “He’s been giving me a lot of good pointers of how to navigate this new system that I’m in.”

Just a few minutes later, Martinelli sat in the paint, drawing the attention of a Mercyhurst defender. Mullins received a pass and headed downhill in a hurry, forcing Martinelli’s defender to step up quickly and commit a foul to prevent the score.

Martinelli didn’t shy away from playing hard on the defensive side of the ball. The tandem with Page allowed the ’Cats to make quick work of some Lakers possessions, with Martinelli playing tight defense and Page grabbing the rebound after an errant shot. This specific sequence happened twice in the second half, but the two played tough all night to earn more possessions for NU. 

The intensity of the defensive unit could be the result of a new philosophy from Collins. He highlighted full-court defense as a goal of his coming into this season and the other coaches have pushed the ’Cats to go harder.

“I think we always put an emphasis on defense,” Martinelli said. “(Assistant Coach Chris Lowrey) is no joke. Last week, he didn’t think we really met his expectations, so we were getting after it in practice and we were ready to go today.”

Martinelli played a team-high 32 minutes in the game, and Collins will likely keep him as a near-constant on the floor to support this season’s deep roster and consistent flow of substitutions.

NU continues its homestand to open the year when it faces Boston University Friday. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.

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