Tension and tenacity.
Through a highly contested battle with Penn State (9-12, 0-10 B1G), Northwestern (10-11, 2-8 B1G) showed glimmers of its retro selves, grit and resilience until the end in its 94-73 home win, the ‘Cats second Big Ten victory of the year.
It was a fantastic night for Northwestern’s offense, which shot 60.3% from the field and 54.5% from three. Nick Martinelli led the way as he recorded his highest scoring performance this season with 34 points on 13-19 shooting, while Tre Singleton
tied a career-high 17 points and grabbed 18 boards. Ciaravino had 20 points and will certainly be featured on multiple highlight reels with his dunks in transition. NU also outrebounded the Nittany Lions 34-21 and got 19 points off turnovers.
While the Nittany Lions won the tip, it didn’t mean much as the ‘Cats defense forced it out of bounds for a turnover. Sophomore guard Max Green capitalized by securing the first points of the contest with a step back three. Both teams rained down shots from behind the arc over the next three possessions. As a faint battle cry from the Wildcat fans rang out across the stadium, first-year Singleton barreled into the paint for an easy layup. Going into the first timeout, Northwestern led 11-6.
After its conclusion, a Nittany Lions turnover quickly ensued before sloppy tradeoffs from either team turned into missed opportunities. After two minutes, the drought finally broke when Mason Blackwood drove through the paint for a Nittany Lion two-pointer. Threes from Jordan Clayton and Martinelli kept the ‘Cats alive, but it was not without opposition. A layup off a forced turnover and second-chance dunk proved Penn State was ready to capitalize on Northwestern mistakes. Heading into the second timeout, Northwestern barely held onto its lead, 17-15.
Free-throws awarded to the Nittany Lions’ Freddie Dillione V after a shooting foul on Reid tied up the game at 17-17 following the break’s conclusion. Defense from either team continued to build and hand fights at the basket seemed evermore common. Martinelli and Ciaravino broke through to add four points to the board, but more fouls on the ‘Cats led to multiple free throws for PSU. Unfortunately for the screaming fans, the gap for a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich stayed at eight as freshman Kayden Mingo sank both foul shots.
A little under eight minutes remained in the half as Northwestern yet again reclaimed its lead following a Ciaravino layup for his second score of the game. After the conclusion of the second media timeout, Singleton turned his missed three into an offensive rebound and layup before an answered jumper from Josh Reed for the Nittany Lions. Both teams kept the game close by trading basketball and fighting for possessions. Following a swished three from Dominick Stewart, the ‘Cats, passing around the arc, threw to the ever-so-consistent Martinelli. He fell back into the signature “flipper” move, quickly answering with a two — the forward having already garnered 13 points in the half.
The final two minutes of the half saw the likes of a scrappy Jake West jumper, plenty of “Let’s go ‘Cats” from adoring children, Martinelli “flips” and sloppy offense from Penn State. Already a high scoring game, Northwestern held a 45-40 lead at halftime.
Teamwork is clearly the name of the game for Coach Chris Collins, as eight Wildcats had at least two points in the first frame. Martinelli led with 15, though Singleton loomed as a threat himself with nine points and the team-high 11 boards, one less than all Nittany Lions combined.
Holding the lead for only two-and-a-half minutes, Penn State saw similar production from their roster. Only Melih Tunca failed to score any buckets during his 10 minutes on the court. Eli Rice and Ivan Juric tied for the team-high nine points while Dilione V was close behind with seven of his own.
Back-to-back missed threes opened the half, but the ‘Cats soon broke out. Martinelli controlled the first bits of scoring with four points, while half of Penn State’s points came from made free-throws. Singleton snatched some momentum with a steal, passing down court to Ciaravino before he leapt into the air for a one-handed dunk, rejuvenating the crowd and sealing an 11 point lead heading into the first timeout of the half.
After nearly three minutes, Juric, from behind the arc, silenced NU’s 9-0 run. Seemingly waking up from their trance, the Nittany Lions compiled an 8-0 run of their own, slowly closing their deficit to only five with 11:20 left. This time, Singleton saved the day after forcing his way below the basket and tossing it up to end the drought.
Time dwindling to 9:07, an and-one from Martinelli electrified the sea of purple further, keeping the momentum alive. And as if the ‘Cats couldn’t get enough, another and-one from Singleton solidified their determination to close out the game, Northwestern leading 73-61 after a timeout.
The ‘Cats continued unanswered for the next three minutes, accumulating an 11-0 run before a basket from Dilione V only minimally interrupted their flow — it seemed Northwestern felt comfortable with the 18 point lead and shook off any nervousness that still prevailed. A bucket behind the arc by Stewart and two free-throws from Reed did minimal damage as the clock wound down to two minutes remaining.
Wasting time, West and Martinelli passed across the court before West banked a three for style-points. After a missed shot from Dilione V, a rebound by Martinelli had the crowd on its feet, clapping rhythmically and proudly to the chant they so quietly stated in the first. As the clock hit zero, the ‘Cats sealed their second conference victory by a margin of 21, defeating the Nittany Lions 94-73.
