Friday, November 15
Evanston, Ill.
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
3-1,0-0Big Ten
67
vs
58
Eastern Illinois
1-3,0-0OVC
1
2
OT 1
F
Eastern Ill.
27
31
0
58
Northwestern
37
21
9
67
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern Slips Past Panthers in Overtime, 67-58
11/15/2024 11:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern held Eastern Illinois scoreless in overtime as graduate student Jalen Leach scored seven of his season-high 27 points in the game's final five minutes en route to a 67-58 overtime win inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday night.
Leach scored 17 of the final 23 points for the Wildcats (3-1) as he fell just two points short of his career-high. He converted a career-high 15-of-16 free throw attempts. Junior Nick Martinelli added 16 points and four rebounds, while graduate student Ty Berry added 10 points of his own. Junior Justin Mullins recorded Wildcat-best tallies with 34 minutes played, five steals and six points. Graduate student Matthew Nicholson added season-highs of 12 rebounds and four assists.
"Really, really proud to be able to dig that win out tonight," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "You know you have a winning culture when you win a game like that."
Northwestern now leads the all-time series against the Panthers (1-3) 4-0, as the 'Cats forced 15 turnovers en route to victory. Leach became the first Wildcat since at least the 2005-06 season to convert over 15 free throws in a game, and Mullins became the first Northwestern player to post 5+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ steals in a game since Anthony Gaines in 2019 against Illinois.
At the 13:39 mark of the first half, Northwestern and Eastern Illinois were tied at 11-11 apiece. The 'Cats then went on a 10-0 run to regain the lad. The Panthers responded and cut the lead down to two with just over three minutes remaining in the first half, but Northwestern's 10-2 run to close the half made it a 37-27 contest at halftime. A Leach turnaround jump shot with seven seconds left capped off the half, while Martinelli had a game-high 11 first-half points.
"I thought they did a great job on Nick, making things hard on him, swarming him at every chance," Collins said. "For him to still will himself to 16 points with all that pressure on him is pretty good."
Eastern Illinois picked up its offense in the second half until it took the lead with a shade under eight minutes remaining in the second half with a 47-46 advantage. From this point on, Leach outscored the Panthers 16-11 until the end of the game.'
Gallery: (11-15-2024) Men's Basketball vs. Eastern Illinois
A Berry three gave Northwestern a 51-49 lead, but Eastern Illinois took the lead back on the following possession.
Leach then converted two mid-range pull-up jump shots to keep the contest close. With 1:19 left, the 'Cats trailed 56-55, but Mullins' fourth steal of the game led to a Leach 3-pointer, his first of the game, to give Northwestern the lead.
"(Coach Collins) kind of talked to me about that before I even came here — that I was going to have a big role this year," Leach said. "I'm just confident in my abilities, the work that I put in."
The game went to overtime at 58 all. Leach scored seven points in overtime, including a three to make it a 7-point game with 1:22 remaining. Martinelli added two points of his own, as a 9-0 overtime secured the win for Northwestern.
"Jalen brought us home," Collins said. "What a great moment for him in a Northwestern uniform to — when we needed him — step up. … He was tremendous."
The 'Cats host Montana State on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. CT inside Welsh-Ryan Arena for the third game of a season-long four-game home stretch. The game will air on BTN and ESPN 1000 WMVP.
Leach scored 17 of the final 23 points for the Wildcats (3-1) as he fell just two points short of his career-high. He converted a career-high 15-of-16 free throw attempts. Junior Nick Martinelli added 16 points and four rebounds, while graduate student Ty Berry added 10 points of his own. Junior Justin Mullins recorded Wildcat-best tallies with 34 minutes played, five steals and six points. Graduate student Matthew Nicholson added season-highs of 12 rebounds and four assists.
Friday Night W ? pic.twitter.com/0SsDXdmZAz
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) November 16, 2024
"Really, really proud to be able to dig that win out tonight," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "You know you have a winning culture when you win a game like that."
Northwestern now leads the all-time series against the Panthers (1-3) 4-0, as the 'Cats forced 15 turnovers en route to victory. Leach became the first Wildcat since at least the 2005-06 season to convert over 15 free throws in a game, and Mullins became the first Northwestern player to post 5+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ steals in a game since Anthony Gaines in 2019 against Illinois.
At the 13:39 mark of the first half, Northwestern and Eastern Illinois were tied at 11-11 apiece. The 'Cats then went on a 10-0 run to regain the lad. The Panthers responded and cut the lead down to two with just over three minutes remaining in the first half, but Northwestern's 10-2 run to close the half made it a 37-27 contest at halftime. A Leach turnaround jump shot with seven seconds left capped off the half, while Martinelli had a game-high 11 first-half points.
"I thought they did a great job on Nick, making things hard on him, swarming him at every chance," Collins said. "For him to still will himself to 16 points with all that pressure on him is pretty good."
Eastern Illinois picked up its offense in the second half until it took the lead with a shade under eight minutes remaining in the second half with a 47-46 advantage. From this point on, Leach outscored the Panthers 16-11 until the end of the game.'
A Berry three gave Northwestern a 51-49 lead, but Eastern Illinois took the lead back on the following possession.
Leach then converted two mid-range pull-up jump shots to keep the contest close. With 1:19 left, the 'Cats trailed 56-55, but Mullins' fourth steal of the game led to a Leach 3-pointer, his first of the game, to give Northwestern the lead.
"(Coach Collins) kind of talked to me about that before I even came here — that I was going to have a big role this year," Leach said. "I'm just confident in my abilities, the work that I put in."
The game went to overtime at 58 all. Leach scored seven points in overtime, including a three to make it a 7-point game with 1:22 remaining. Martinelli added two points of his own, as a 9-0 overtime secured the win for Northwestern.
"Jalen brought us home," Collins said. "What a great moment for him in a Northwestern uniform to — when we needed him — step up. … He was tremendous."
The 'Cats host Montana State on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. CT inside Welsh-Ryan Arena for the third game of a season-long four-game home stretch. The game will air on BTN and ESPN 1000 WMVP.
Team Stats
EIU
NU
FG%
.410
.404
3FG%
.158
.263
FT%
.625
.741
RB
33
37
TO
15
15
STL
9
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
27
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
15
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
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