The Wildcats mounted a late comeback attempt after trailing for double digits for parts of the second half, but Butler (9-3, 1-1 Big East) held on for a narrow 61-58 win over Northwestern (7-5, 0-2 B1G).
Northwestern was without its lead scorer Nick Martinelli, who suffered a concussion. With its worst offensive output of the season, the ‘Cats clearly missed Martinelli’s stabilizing presence on the offensive end.
Butler clung to a healthy multi-possession lead for much of the game, leading by as much as eleven
during parts of the second half. Though Northwestern battled down the stretch, Butler could cling to its narrow lead, as the ‘Cats missed multiple game-tying three-point looks in the game’s final minutes.
Reid led the ‘Cats offensively with 14 points and six assists, shooting 5-for-13 from the field. Without Martinelli, Page struggled to get going for much of the afternoon, finishing with just seven points and three rebounds, well off his usual numbers. For the Bulldogs, it was Michael Ajayi who gave Butler an edge in the paint on both ends of the floor. Ajayi finished with 19 points, 20 rebounds and 2 blocks, leading Butler in each statistical category. Jaime Kaiser also provided major contributions for the Bulldog offense, totaling 14 points before leaving the game with an injury.
Both teams struggled from the field, with the ‘Cats shooting 35.9% and the Bulldogs being no better at 37.9%. However, the difference in the game came from rebounding and three-point shooting. Butler outrebounded the ‘Cats 41 to 35 and managed to make three more shots from behind the arc, as Northwestern’s struggles from deep continued with lackluster 4-for-23 shooting splits.
After Butler won the opening tip, it was a defensive slugfest, as the teams combined to go 0-for-9 from the field in the game’s opening three minutes. After nine-straight scoreless possessions, Reid opened the scoring for the Wildcats, connecting on a pull-up jump shot.
However, Kaiser immediately responded for Butler, connecting on a spot-up three-pointer to make the score 3-2 as the game entered its first media timeout at 15:37. With Northwestern 1-for-6 from the field, and Butler 1-for-7, the defenses dominated the game’s opening four minutes, causing shooting struggles in both offenses.
Out of the timeout, Butler started the scoring, as Clayton allowed Kaiser to scorch him on a drive to the basket. A possession later, Ajayi found his way to the cupt for the Bulldogs, extending the Butler scoring run to 7-0 over the game’s last three minutes.
Reid finally broke the scoring drought for the Wildcats, knocking down two free throws at the charity stripe, before K.J. Windham knocked down a midrange jumper to bring the score to 7-6.
Despite trailing, encouraging was the ‘Cats’ increased defensive intensity. The Northwestern defense has struggled in recent games, ranking ninth in the Big Ten in points per game (71.0) and 102nd in the nation per KenPom.com. The ‘Cats’ defensive effort kept the ‘Cats in the game in the game’s early going, allowing for Max Green’s three to tie the game at 9-9 right before the second media timeout at 11:03.
Building upon his reputation as a streaky scorer, Green found his way to the basket out of the timeout to give the ‘Cats an 11-9 lead.
Over the next three minutes, the teams continued to trade punches, as Singleton and Tyler Kropp got involved for Northwestern. However, Evan Haywood and Kaiser got hot for Butler. Haywood scored six-straight points for Butler before Kaiser converted on a layup and a three, creating a 20-15 Bulldog lead at the 7:37 mark.
Trailing by five, Collins got Page involved offensively, as the junior transfer got open off a pick-and-roll, slamming home a dunk off an elbow feed from Reid. On the other end, Yame Butler responded with the Bulldogs’ fourth made three-pointer of the game. Though neither team was hot from beyond the arc in the first half, Butler’s four made threes provided the Bulldogs a sizable scoring advantage over Northwestern’s 2-for-11 shooting from deep.
After a Kropp free-throw brought the score to 23-20 Butler at 5:16, scoring subsided for the next two and a half minutes before a Jones dunk and an Ajayi layup put the Bulldogs up by seven.
Butler led 29-23 at halftime. Shooting 32.1% from the field in the first half, the ‘Cats’ 23 points were their lowest scoring mark in a single half this period. However, Butler shot just 35.5% from the field and surrendered eight turnovers to the NU defense, failing to mount a meaningful lead despite out-rebounding the ‘Cats 23 to 14.
For Northwestern, Reid led the scoring for the ‘Cats with six points, while Butler’s Kaiser led all scorers with 10 points and two threes. Ajayi came close to a first-half double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Coming out of the break, scoring mimicked the beginning of the first half, as neither team was able to put points on the board for 90 seconds. Ciaravino eventually opened the scoring, splashing a jumper for the ‘Cats.
After going 0-for-6 from deep in the opening period, Finley Bizjack, Butler’s best three-point shooter, finally connected on a three-point shot. Layups from Kaiser and Azavier Robinson quickly followed, forcing a Collins timeout with Butler’s lead having grown to eleven.
Scoring accelerated over the next few minutes, as Butler maintained a comfortable double-digit lead. Singleton scored four points inside for the ‘Cats, as Ajayi splashed two midrange jumpers for four points of his own.
Collins criticized his team’s defensive effort at the 13:52 media timeout, and his team positively responded, allowing just five Butler points over the next five minutes. Additionally, increased offensive tempo helped the ‘Cats attack the paint, with Reid and Ciaravino picking up big and-one buckets.
Northwestern continued to dig defensively, bringing the score to 52-46 by holding Butler to zero field goals over nearly five minutes. Butler’s Kaiser, who led the Bulldogs with 14 points and left the game due to injury with just under nine minutes to play, contributed to Butler’s stagnant offensive stretch.
The Bulldog sharp shooter Bizjack finally broke the field goal drought with his second three-pointer of the game at 6:30. Clayton’s three and a driving layup from Green provided a quick response for the ‘Cats, however, keeping Northwestern within two possessions with just five minutes to play.
After a big stop coming out of a Butler timeout, Reid continued to be the backbone of the Northwestern offense, stepping up once again with a strong right-handed layup. The basket cut the Butler lead to 55-53, and two Oliogu-Elabor free throws later, a Page-and-one hook shot made the score 57-56 with just under two minutes remaining.
Singleton got a good look from three, which would’ve given the ‘Cats a lead, but instead he missed back iron. Ajayi scored on the other end for the Bulldogs, putting his squad back up by three.
But the ‘Cats kept their trust in Singleton, and Reid gave it right back to the freshman forward in the corner for what looked to be a game-tying three-pointer with 31 seconds to play. However, Singleton’s toes were just barely on the three-point line, and his shot was correctly called a two.
Down 59-58 with a one-second game to shot clock differential, Northwestern was forced to foul on the other end. Haywood knocked down two free throws for the Bulldogs, bringing the Butler lead to three with 19.8 seconds left.
In need of a three-point bucket, Windham got separation on a step back, but missed back iron. Butler secured the rebound and made their way back to the line to shoot one-and-one free throws.
In a crazy final sequence, Ajayi missed his free throw, allowing Northwestern to nab a rebound and get a game-tying three-point opportunity. However, Oliogu-Elabor came up with a huge offensive rebound, heading back to the charity stripe for the Bulldogs. Reid grabbed the long rebound and charged down to the other end in a fast break, but his desperation three-point jumper was well long, giving Butler a narrow 61-58 victory as time expired.
Northwestern will go on a 10-day hiatus before returning to play Howard at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. CST.
