Down by 13 with 4:48 to go in the first half, the ‘Cats seemed down and out for the sixth time in seven games.
Fast forward to the final three minutes of Tuesday’s game, and you’ll see late-game heroics from Jake West and Nick Martinelli were the cherry on top of a thrilling four-point victory.
It was a signature Northwestern basketball win, fueled by gritty, grimy and determined basketball and led by Martinelli’s 28 points. The Wildcats (12-16, 4-13 B1G) also received major contributions from Jake West, who followed with 16 points and a 3-of-5 mark from three-point range. Northwestern outrebounded Indiana (17-11, 8-9 B1G) by a 34-23 margin, showing off intense physicality throughout the game.
For the Hoosiers, Lamar Wilkerson scored 18 points, but he shot 0-of-9 from the field in the second half, becoming a big reason for IU’s eventual loss. Tayton Conerway added 14 and Sam Alexis tacked on 13 for Indiana.
The ‘Cats took a 9-8 lead early in Tuesday’s back-and-forth contest, but Wilkerson responded with a corner three to put Indiana up 11-9. After a Reed Bailey free throw for the Hoosiers, Arrinten Page and Wilkerson traded baskets with the clock ticking down toward the 12-minute mark. The Northwestern junior forward muscled in a layup and drilled a fadeaway jumper, while Indiana’s senior guard found his third and fourth threes of the game.
Wilkerson refused to relent, finding another two once he touched the ball once more. About a minute later, Tucker DeVries found his own luck from deep for another IU three, and the Hoosiers’ lead ballooned to 10 in just as many minutes. After a Martinelli free throw for the ‘Cats and a two and a three apiece for both teams, Indiana led 28-19 entering the under-eight media break.
West wiped away Tayton Conerway’s and-one with a three-ball to cut the lead back to single digits, but his efforts went to waste after Singleton was called for goaltending on the other end. Then, after a Ciaravino score, Dorn made Indiana’s eighth three of the half to give IU its biggest lead of the night at 12.
After West went 1-of-2 from the line, the lead became 13 on a Sam Alexis layup. Singleton, Martinelli and Alexis scored in succession, reducing the Wildcat deficit to 11 before a media timeout at the 2:50 mark.
Out of the break, Ciaravino and Alexis cashed in from within the restricted area. Two charity stripe shots from Singleton concluded the half, with Northwestern trailing 42-33.
Despite Martinelli being an inefficient 3-of-9 from the field, Northwestern shot 50% in the first. Ethical offense was at the core of the ‘Cats production, as Singleton, Martinelli, and West all had seven points at the break. Ciaravino followed them up with six on 3-of-4 shooting.
Even with a quiet 11 minutes that followed his scoring explosion, Wilkerson was the star of the show for the Hoosiers. He ended the first half with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, accounting for half of IU’s eight treys.
Alexis drew first blood for IU in the second half, but Martinelli responded with three baskets and two free throws to cap off an 8-0 personal run. With Indiana’s near-double digit lead vanished, DeVries canned a wide-open three, and Conerway followed up with another triple as the Hoosiers won the race to 50.
Conerway then exchanged layups with West to make the score 52-43. In response, a Martinelli runner and West three brought NU within four with about 11 minutes left. Alexis and DeVries responded with a basket each, giving Indiana some breathing room.
Page and Ciaravino combined for NU’s next four points, getting the ‘Cats halfway to even. The latter fouled DeVries on a three-point attempt and saw the Wildcats’ efforts stifled by three made free throws.
Northwestern quickly picked up a Martinelli two, Ciaravino free throw and Page triple to make it a one-point game. About a minute-and-a-half later, Martinelli stuck a stone cold mid-range jumper in a defender’s face to give the Wildcats their first lead since the 15:06 mark of the first half. Wilkerson cashed two free throws for his first points of the period to put IU back out in front before the final media timeout of regulation.
Martinelli found the bottom of the net once more as the clock ticked under the three-minute mark. His first three of the game gave the ‘Cats a late 63-61 lead. He went back to work inside the arc for another face-up 15-footer, pushing the Northwestern lead to two possessions for the first time.
Wilkerson sank both free throws of a 1-and-1 to bring it back within two, but Martinelli couldn’t be contained. A third consecutive field goal for the captain kept IU at bay, forcing a Hoosier timeout.
Indiana wasn’t anywhere near done, however. Conerway found an easy layup to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 67-65, and after an IU steal, a Singleton foul put Alexis on the line with 16.1 seconds left.
With the fate of the game in his hands, Alexis made the first, but missed the second long. West corralled the rebound and was quickly fouled by the Hoosiers. Both shots were pure for the youngster, despite IU coach Darian DeVries’ best efforts to ice the freshman with a timeout.
Conerway went coast-to-coast for a slam, seeking a foul as we went up for the jam. The referees thought differently, and Indiana was denied the chance to tie from the line. West was fouled once again on the inbound, and he repeated with two cold-blooded free throws to put IU on the brink of defeat.
The Hoosiers were sent over the deep end as DeVries, fighting through clear contact from Ciaravino, missed the mark on a desperation heave from deep. The uproar of the Indiana crowd characterized the controversy of the Northwestern win, sealed by one last free throw from Page.
The Wildcats will return to action on Saturday at 1 p.m. CST in a home matchup against Oregon.
