Quick start carries Northwestern past Georgia Tech

Field Level Media|published: Sun 15th December, 18:32 2024

NCAA Basketball: Illinois at Northwestern

Dec 6, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins gestures to his team against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Brooks Barnhizer scored 20 points and Nick Martinelli and Jalen Leach added 16 apiece to lead Northwestern to a 71-60 victory over Georgia Tech in a nonconference game Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee.

Northwestern (8-3) scored the first 11 points of the game and never trailed. The Wildcats led 31-26 at the break, then opened the second half with a 16-4 run. Ty Berry's 3-pointer put Northwestern up 47-30 with just over 13 minutes remaining. Berry finished with 11 points and three steals, and Barnhizer added three steals.

Jaeden Mustaf scored five consecutive points to cap a 7-0 run that brought Georgia Tech within 47-37. The Wildcats answered with 10 consecutive points, the first five by Barnhizer and again capped by Berry's trey to push the lead to 57-37 with 7:39 left.

Lance Terry had 17 points, Mustaf 11 and Ryan Mutombo 10 for the Yellow Jackets (4-6), who have lost three consecutive games, all on the road.

Northwestern shot 47.1 percent in the second half, including hitting 4 of 10 shots from deep, but did not make a field goal over the final 3:58.

Georgia Tech hit its final eight shots to boost its shooting percentage to 39.3 percent. The Yellow Jackets also had 42-36 edge on the boards, but they also had 16 turnovers. Led by Mustaf and Mutombo, Georgia Tech's bench accounted for 30 points.

The Wildcats jumped out an 11-0 lead as Georgia Tech missed its first seven shots, including three from beyond the arc. Javian McCollum finally put the Yellow Jackets on the board with 13:42 remaining in the half with a 3-pointer from the top right.

Northwestern went through a 1-of-10 shooting stretch and Georgia Tech rallied within 26-23 on Terry's 3-pointer with just under two minutes left in the first half.

Neither team shot well in the half. Northwestern shot 32.3 percent, while Georgia Tech shot 32.1 percent. The Yellow Jackets also committed 10 turnovers.

The game was part of the MKE Tip-Off, a tripleheader at Fiserv Forum, home of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. Akron faced host Milwaukee in the opener, while San Francisco played Loyola Chicago in the final game.

--Field Level Media