Facing two games in four days, the Wildcats took care of business at home before another big test ahead on the road.
On Tuesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Northwestern (7-4, 0-2 B1G) beat Valparaiso (6-5, 0-0 MVC) 86-70, collecting two successive wins after a previous three-game skid. Despite encountering a series of rallies from the Beacons, the Wildcats avoided having their advantage fade, sealing a solid victory later in the second half.
On the Northwestern side, Nick Martinelli led the night with
29 points with six boards. Arrinten Page exploded with 18 points, dominating the glass with seven rebounds. Jayden Reid (13) and Tre Singleton (10) also posted double digits, respectively.
On the Valparaiso side, JT Pettigrew led the team’s board with 13 points and six rebounds. Brody Whitaker and Justus McNair followed with 12 and 10 points.
After Northwestern won the tip, Jordan Clayton, who was starting his third consecutive game, scored the Wildcats’ first field goal at the top of the key. Page then linked up to Martinelli outside the perimeter with an arching feed, and the latter banked the ball in with ease. After forcing a Valparaiso clock violation, the ‘Cats set up a 7-0 run with three minutes gone by.
After Valparaiso broke the drought with Brody Whitaker’s jumper, Martinelli scored a second-chance basket to keep Northwestern’s advantage. Dease beat the clock for the visitors with a drive from the weakside. Justin Mullins and Jayden Reid weaved through the traffic, combining for four points in response. Reid kept playing the role of orchestrator, throwing two straight dimes that led to Martinelli’s floater and Mullins’ hammer in a fastbreak, forcing the Beacons to call a timeout at 17-5.
Valparaiso then shortened the gap to nine points, which forced Northwestern to take a quick timeout with 12 minutes to the intermission. Justus McNair scored four straight points within a minute. Page rose for an alley-oop dunk to regain the double-digit lead for the Wildcats. After dishing to Page, Tre Singleton showcased his quick pump-fake that juked out his defender, finishing the possession with a floater. The first-year again scored another driving layup after Valparaiso returned a hookshot jumper by Shon Tupuola.
After Valparaiso’s two free throws that cut the lead back to nine, the Beacons began to pressure Northwestern via a full-court defense. As the ‘Cats missed two shots, Valparaiso reduced the difference to only five after a four-point run. The ‘Cats bled until Clayton leapt and corralled the ball for a steal, leading to a fastbreak and-one layup by Martinelli through the transition.
Though Martinelli missed the following free throw from the line, Page stepped up with a stunning block to recover on the other end. Reid drew a foul through a drive and notched two from the free-throw line. Valparaiso remained dangerous and edged to 21-27 with Mark Brown’s three. Page again came in with a powerful drive from the post that drew a foul, finishing an and-one with a free throw.
Leading the opponent by seven with four minutes before the break, Reid drew more contact and added two more free throws, followed by Martinelli’s swift floater in the paint. Max Green splashed a corner three to break Northwestern’s three-point drought that had lasted since Clayton’s game opener, rebuilding an 11-point lead. The Beacons didn’t waver, rallying to a seven-point game in the last minute. Northwestern sealed off the first half through Reid’s pull-up jumper, leading 39-30 at the break.
Martinelli led the first half with 12 points and Reid posted eight. Valparaiso featured McNair and JT Pettigew with five points each. Both teams equaled on the glass with 14 rebounds, offensively (5) and defensively (9), while the ‘Cats outscored the Beacons 22-12 in the paint.
Martinelli opened the second half for Northwestern with a foul drawn driving in the post, and nailing one of two chances on the charity stripe. Clayton remained a hot hand and knocked down his second triple, reclaiming a double-digit lead for the Wildcats. Building on that momentum, Martinelli poured in eight straight points, establishing a 19-point cushion at the 16:20 mark.
Back from a timeout, Owen Dease powered in with his arms high and completed an and-one play. McNair then drew Martinelli’s third foul and added two from the line. With the Beacons eating the ‘Cats’ advantage, Page fought back with six points, including a wide-open three-pointer on top of the key that extended a fresh 20-point dominance.
Page continued his scoring show. After scoring a stepback jumper on the right post, he again actively wanted the ball outside the perimeter and faced the rim, overwhelming his defender through the body, and took off above a sparing restricted area for a jam.
In the last ten minutes of the game, the Beacons put effort into trimming the deficit. Carter Hopoi conducted two straight and-one plays, followed by a McNair’s three through a second chance off an offensive rebound. Valparaiso cut the deficit to 13 after Pettigew tipped the ball in on another second-chance.
With its lead getting broken down, Northwestern solidified its advantage at 68-52 with roughly eight minutes left to the closure. Singleton, a battler on the boards, grabbed a rebound from Mullins’ second miss from the line and made the putback. While the Beacons were stuck in turnover turmoil, Page and Martinelli combined for four points through drives, regaining a 20-point lead for Northwestern.
The opponent attempted a final valiant push. After Pettigrew’s second chance, Brody Whitaker took over the ball on every Valparaiso possession and dropped seven straight points. The Beacons trimmed the gap to just a 13-point disparity, forcing Northwestern to call a timeout with four minutes left.
Martinelli came up big to stabilize the morale, claiming an offensive board and finishing the second chance. Mullins forced a turnover outside the perimeter, converting his steal to a fastbreak dunk. At the 2:03 mark, Reid dove in and spun backward, scoring a fadeaway two. Subsequently, Page added one from two free throws, eliminating all hope for the other side.
Northwestern will travel to Indianapolis, Ind., for the Indy Classic on Saturday, battling Butler at 3 p.m. CST at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
