Northwestern rallies from 13 down to beat Northeastern

Field Level Media|published: Sun 29th December, 15:42 2024

NCAA Basketball: Northeastern at Northwestern

Dec 29, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northeastern Huskies guard Rashad King (4) shoots against Northwestern Wildcats guard Jalen Leach (1) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Brooks Barnhizer stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals to propel slow-starting Northwestern to an 85-60 victory over visiting Northeastern on Sunday in Evanston, Ill.

Ty Berry hit five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 23 points, while Nick Martinelli added 16 points as Northwestern (10-3) rallied from an early 13-point deficit to capture its fourth straight win.

Playing after a seven-day layoff, Northwestern used its pressure defense to turn the game around. The Wildcats forced 22 turnovers while committing just six of their own, fueling a 34-5 edge in points off the mistakes.

In the final nonconference game for both teams, Northeastern (8-5) was led by LA Pratt, who had 18 points and seven rebounds. Masai Troutman made 4 of 5 from 3-point range, adding 17 points for the Huskies.

The score was tied two minutes into the second half before Northwestern took control with a 21-4 run, triggered by a 3-pointer by Berry.

Matthew Nicholson, who scored all seven of his points in the second half, had a pair of putbacks in the run. Barnhizer added a three-point play and Jalen Leach drained a triple as the Wildcats expanded their lead to 56-39.

From there, Northeastern never got the deficit into single digits.

In the opening minutes, Northwestern had difficulty figuring out Northeastern's trapping, three-quarter court press. While the Wildcats missed their first eight 3-point attempts, the Huskies drilled five of their first seven from deep.

A pair of 3-pointers each by Troutman and Pratt propelled Northeastern to a 17-4 lead before the game was seven minutes old.

Midway through the half, the Wildcats responded with pressure defense of their own, which fueled a nine-point run capped by a 3-pointer by Leach which reduced the deficit to 22-18.

Later in the half, Leach made another trey it gave Northwestern its first lead at 28-27. Then, a 3 by Berry with 30 seconds left gave the Wildcats a 35-33 lead at the break.

The double-double was the sixth straight for Barnhizer.

During their four-game streak, which includes three wins over power conference schools, the Wildcats have forced 67 turnovers while committing just 24.

--Field Level Media