Nick Martinelli leads Northwestern to 70-66 overtime win over No. 19 Illinois

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Northwestern pins key block off glass in upset win over No. 19 Illinois

Matthew Nicholson comes up with a huge rejection in overtime to help Northwestern knock off No. 19 Illinois.

Dec 7, 2024, 12:04 am

EVANSTON, Ill. -- — Nick Martinelli scored 27 points, including seven in overtime, and Northwestern beat No. 19 Illinois 70-66 on Friday night.

Brooks Barnhizer added 17 points and Jalen Leach had 16 as the Wildcats (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) overcame a 10-point deficit. Barnhizer's free throw with 8 seconds left in OT helped seal it.

Barnhizer scored on a jumper from the paint with 41 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 56-all. Illinois led 46-36 midway through the second half.

Kasparas Jakucionis led Illinois (6-2, 0-1) with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Tomislav Ivisic had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman Will Riley came off the bench to score 12 points.

Northwestern beat a ranked team in its conference home opener for the second straight season after stunning Zach Edey and Purdue last year.

Takeaways

Northwestern: Bounced back after losing its conference opener 80-79 at Iowa on Tuesday on Josh Dix’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Illinois: This was a far cry from the Illini's 90-77 win over then- No. 19 Arkansas on Thanksgiving, which they started on a 21-6 run and led throughout.

Key moment

Jakucionis was blocked out by Northwestern center Matthew Nicholson and missed on a driving layup with 39 seconds left in OT and the Wildcats leading 67-66. Nicholson grabbed the rebound, and Northwestern added two points on free throws by Leach.

Key stat

Illinois committed 11 turnovers to four for Northwestern.

Up next

Illinois hosts No. 11 Wisconsin on Tuesday. Northwestern plays at Georgia Tech on Dec. 15.

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