Nick Martinelli scored 27 points, including seven in overtime, and Northwestern beat No. 19 Illinois 70-66 on Friday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston.
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 eight 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. Illinois led 46-36 midway through the second half.
Kasparas Jakučionis led Illinois (6-2, 0-1) with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Tomislav Ivišić had 15 points and 12 rebounds and freshman Will Riley scored 12 points off the bench.
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: The Wildcats 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 with a 21-6 run and led throughout.
Key moment
Northwestern center Matthew Nicholson blocked a driving layup attempt from Jakučionis with 39 seconds left in overtime and the Wildcats leading 67-66. Nicholson grabbed the rebound, and Northwestern added a pair of Leach free throws and another from Barnhizer for the final margin.
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.
