It was a one-point game coming out of the break, and the crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena was looking for something to give them hope amidst the darkness that has been Northwestern’s season. 

Senior forward Nick Martinelli drilled a 3-pointer to open the half that could have lit a fire under the Wildcats (11-16, 3-13 Big Ten), but instead seemed on its way to becoming an embodiment of the NU basketball program this season. Following the three, Martinelli took just one shot over the next eight minutes. 

But instead of collapsing offensively as the team did against Michigan on Feb. 11, the scoring island that has often had a population of one expanded as sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino and junior guard Jordan Clayton joined the party.

When NU needed it most, Clayton stepped up. Down six with 13 minutes to go, the three-year ’Cat nailed four shots from beyond the arc as part of a 22-4 run that flipped the game on its head, giving his team a 12-point lead they never gave back.

“I thought our guys willed to win,” coach Chris Collins said.

Throughout the year, Martinelli has often stepped up to lead the team, but has usually been left on an island. Against Michigan State, he put up 28 points on 72% shooting, while his teammates shot just 29%.

On Wednesday, the team maintained its effectiveness beyond Martinelli, buoyed by the shooting of Ciaravino and Clayton, who shot a combined 61% from the field, with Clayton making six of his seven three-point shots.

“When you do right by the game, the basketball gods are going to reward you,” Collins said. “The shots are going to go in, and good things are going to happen.”

Much of the effectiveness came from shooting from beyond the arc. After shooting under 25% from deep in each of the last two games, the ’Cats returned to the form that nearly beat an Iowa team ranked 26th in NET when they faced off Feb. 8, making 57% of their threes.

Martinelli hasn’t looked his best in recent games, shooting just 30.1% over the ’Cats’ five-game losing streak and 46% in conference play coming into the day, a 5% drop from his overall regular season.

However, Wednesday proved to be a return to early-season form for the eighth-highest scorer in NU history, as he finished with 28 points, his highest total since he dropped 34 on fellow conference basement-dweller Penn State.

“As long as I could’ve contributed to winning, it wouldn’t have mattered, and I wasn’t,” Martinelli said. “Today, I got the opportunity to be (a contributor to the win), and that’s good for me.”

“I knew he was going to bounce back today,” Collins said. “Nick is such a warrior. He’s going to fight tooth and nail until the finish. It’s good to see him come back with a big scoring night.”

Martinelli, who was ranked 76th in The Athletic’s latest NBA Draft rankings, had the support today from the bench — which put up 38 points — to help turn his strong performance into a victory for the ’Cats. On the other side, Maryland guard Andre Mills got almost no support, scoring 39 of his team’s 74 points.

Mills shot 71%, which was the highest on the team by 20 points. The rest of the Terrapins made just 32.4% of their shots, which limited their offensive opportunities in the final few minutes of a tight game.

When it mattered most, the stars showed up for both teams. Mills scored nine of the Terrapins’ final 13 points, and Martinelli scored 13 straight points for the ’Cats before Maryland started fouling.

However, NU won this game because of its bench. Clayton’s career-high scoring day carried the ’Cats to their four-point victory over the Terrapins in a battle for seeding at the back end of the Big Ten tournament.

“It’s good to see your hard work pay off,” Clayton said.

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