Northwestern downs Minnesota behind Nick Martinelli’s 28

NCAA Basketball: Big Ten Conference Tournament First Round-Minnesota vs NorthwesternMar 12, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) shoots the ball while Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Frank Mitchell (00) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Nick Martinelli scored a game-high 28 points and Ty Berry added 14 to lift Northwestern to a 72-64 victory against Minnesota on Wednesday in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis.

Thirteenth-seeded Northwestern (17-15) advances to face fifth-seeded Wisconsin on Thursday afternoon.

The Wildcats shot 48.2 percent compared to 37.7 percent for the 12th-seeded Golden Gophers. Minnesota (15-17) lost its third straight game while struggling to support leading scorer Dawson Garcia.

Garcia paced Minnesota with 22 points while shooting 7-for-13. The rest of the Golden Gophers went 13-for-40 from the floor, with Mike Mitchell Jr. (11 points) and Isaac Asuma (eight) following Garcia.

Minnesota’s Frank Mitchell snagged seven rebounds to match Garcia for the team and game high. Matthew Nicholson, Martinelli and Berry each added seven boards to help the Wildcats finish plus-four on the glass.

Jordan Clayton (11 points) and K.J. Windham (10) also finished in double figures for the Wildcats, who boasted a 32-20 advantage in points in the paint.

Berry drilled one of his four treys to push the Northwestern advantage to 54-39 with 9:51 remaining. The 3 capped a 22-10 Wildcats run to open the second half, which coincided with Minnesota’s 2-for-15 slump coming out of halftime.

Minnesota responded with four quick points, including a Garcia putback of a Femi Odukale free throw that would have capped a three-point play.

But with the Golden Gophers threatening to draw within double figures, Clayton responded with a 3 to regain momentum.

Fueled by Martinelli’s 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting, Northwestern led by as many as nine in the first half before taking a 32-29 lead into intermission.

The Wildcats shot 50 percent in the first half but struggled to go 1-for-9 from beyond the arc. Still, it was Northwestern ball-control issues that helped Minnesota close the half on a 6-0 run, with the Golden Gophers capitalizing on a turnover and offensive foul over the final 1:05 before the break.

Wisconsin (23-8) edged host Northwestern 75-69 on Feb. 1 behind 27 points from John Tonje.

–Field Level Media

Related Posts

New York Yankees Face Uncertain Future After Gerrit Cole Injury

Even before ace right-hander Gerrit Cole went down for the 2025 season — and possibly longer — because of an elbow injury, the New York Yankees looked vulnerable in their…

Read more

Luka Doncic, undermanned Lakers have tall task vs. Nuggets

Mar 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) in the fourth quarter at Fiserv…

Read more

No. 5 Alabama makes SEC tournament debut vs. No. 15 Kentucky

Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) runs a play against the Auburn Tigers during the first half at Neville Arena. Alabama knows that neither success nor failure in the…

Read more

Suns sinking fast as they prepare to host Kings

Phoenix Suns center Mason Plumlee (22) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Center. The Phoenix Suns have yet to wave…

Read more

Hanwha Life Esports unbeaten entering First Stand playoffs

The loading screen for League of Legends. Hanwha Life Esports finished a 4-0 round-robin stage with a 2-1 win Friday against Team Liquid at the 2025 First Stand Tournament in…

Read more

Dustin Johnson opens with 3-shot lead at Singapore

Sep 21, 2024; Carrolton, Texas, USA; Dustin Johnson of the 4Aces GC watches his shot from the 16th tee during the LIV Golf Dallas Team Championship Semifinals at Maridoe Golf…

Read more

Leave a Reply