Tuesday, February 4
Evanston, Ill.
8 p.m. CT
Northwestern
13-10,4-8Big Ten
77
vs
75
USC
13-9,5-6Big Ten
1
2
F
Southern California
31
44
75
Northwestern
33
44
77
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Martinelli Hits Game-Winner to Lead Wildcats over Southern Cal
2/5/2025 12:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern junior Nick Martinelli capped off his 27-point, 13-rebound outing by splitting a double team and knocking down a game-winning floater with 2.4 seconds remaining to defeat USC, 77-75, on Tuesday evening inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"Honestly, I think I was going to shoot it regardless," Martinelli said. "I just needed to see where the double team was coming from. … I just picked it up and split, and I had a wide open shot."
Martinelli notched his second consecutive double-double, with 10 of his 13 rebounds were on the offensive glass. Martinelli joined Zach Edey (Purdue) and Luka Garza (Iowa) as the only Big Ten players since 2005-06 to record 25+ points and 10+ offensive rebounds in a game. He became the first Wildcat to pull down 10+ offensive rebounds in a game since Jan. 2, 2018, when Dererk Pardon had 11 against Nebraska. Martinelli became the first Northwestern player to record two 25+ point, 12+ rebound games in a season since at least 2005-06. The Glenview, Ill. native recorded his third 25+ point, 10+ rebound game of the season, while no other Big Ten player has recorded more than one such game this season. Martinelli registered his sixth 25+ point game of the season, which is the most by a Northwestern forward since John Shurna had six such games in the 2011-12 season. He posted the fifth double-double of his career and led Northwestern in scoring for the 10th time this season.
"This was a game we had to really dig down and get," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said.
Junior Justin Mullins recorded 14 points, shooting 4-of-5 from three, and seven rebounds in 37 minutes. He tied his career-high with four made threes. Mullins' 14 points, four treys, and 37 minutes are all his most as a Wildcat. Mullins is the first Northwestern player with 37+ minutes and 14+ points off the bench since Brooks Barnhizer did so on March 10, 2023, against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.
Ty Berry totaled nine points, all of which came in the first half, while pulling down six rebounds and dishing out three assists. Northwestern received a productive outing from its big men, graduate students Matthew Nicholson and Keenan Fitzmorris. Nicholson registered nine points and six rebounds, while Fitzmorris logged eight points and three rebounds.
Gallery: (2-4-2025) Men's Basketball vs. USC
Northwestern had 24 second chance points compared to the Trojans' 11. The Wildcats bench outscored USC's bench 26-11, led by Mullins' 14 points. Mullins started the second half for Northwestern and proceeded not to sub out for the remainder of the game.
"He was bringing the energy," Collins said. "The shots go in when you play the right way, when you play with the right energy, you have the right spirit, and you're competing."
With over 15 minutes remaining in the first half, Northwestern took the lead with a Berry and-one floater. Berry scored nine of the 'Cats' first 18 points. Northwestern remained in control for the entire half, not surrendering its lead.
The 'Cats entered halftime with a 33-31 advantage after leading by as many as nine with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Northwestern recorded 14 offensive rebounds in the first half and 16 second chance points.
The 'Cats opened the second half with consecutive scoring possessions from alley-oop finishes by Nicholson. Graduate student Jalen Leach, who had a team-high six assists, recorded helpers on both possessions.
Northwestern's lead ballooned to as many as 15 with 10 minutes remaining after a 7-0 run. From there, the Trojans fought back into the contest, cutting the 'Cats lead to just five with four minutes remaining.
Martinelli scored eight of Northwestern's final 10 points to secure the 'Cats win. The Trojans never took the lead, although the game was tied at the time of Martinelli's game winner.
"I thought our guys did a good things along the way — to get the 15 point lead and then to rally after losing that lead," Collins said.
Northwestern hits the road to take on Big Ten foe Washington at 9:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 8. The game will air on BTN and WGN Radio 720.
"Honestly, I think I was going to shoot it regardless," Martinelli said. "I just needed to see where the double team was coming from. … I just picked it up and split, and I had a wide open shot."
NICKY BUCKETS ????
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) February 5, 2025
?? @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/TYLVfW7ui5
Martinelli notched his second consecutive double-double, with 10 of his 13 rebounds were on the offensive glass. Martinelli joined Zach Edey (Purdue) and Luka Garza (Iowa) as the only Big Ten players since 2005-06 to record 25+ points and 10+ offensive rebounds in a game. He became the first Wildcat to pull down 10+ offensive rebounds in a game since Jan. 2, 2018, when Dererk Pardon had 11 against Nebraska. Martinelli became the first Northwestern player to record two 25+ point, 12+ rebound games in a season since at least 2005-06. The Glenview, Ill. native recorded his third 25+ point, 10+ rebound game of the season, while no other Big Ten player has recorded more than one such game this season. Martinelli registered his sixth 25+ point game of the season, which is the most by a Northwestern forward since John Shurna had six such games in the 2011-12 season. He posted the fifth double-double of his career and led Northwestern in scoring for the 10th time this season.
The Wildcats (13-10, 4-8 Big Ten) recorded 23 offensive rebounds, their first time posting 20+ in a game since Nov. 15, 2022, at Georgetown. Northwestern outrebounded the Trojans (13-9, 5-6 Big Ten) 43-27 and have won 14 of its last 15 games when outrebounding an opponent by at least 15. The Wildcats improved to a perfect 3-0 all-time against USC while playing at home.FOUND A WAY ?? pic.twitter.com/ppX6Gjei1n
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) February 5, 2025
"This was a game we had to really dig down and get," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said.
Junior Justin Mullins recorded 14 points, shooting 4-of-5 from three, and seven rebounds in 37 minutes. He tied his career-high with four made threes. Mullins' 14 points, four treys, and 37 minutes are all his most as a Wildcat. Mullins is the first Northwestern player with 37+ minutes and 14+ points off the bench since Brooks Barnhizer did so on March 10, 2023, against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.
Ty Berry totaled nine points, all of which came in the first half, while pulling down six rebounds and dishing out three assists. Northwestern received a productive outing from its big men, graduate students Matthew Nicholson and Keenan Fitzmorris. Nicholson registered nine points and six rebounds, while Fitzmorris logged eight points and three rebounds.
Northwestern had 24 second chance points compared to the Trojans' 11. The Wildcats bench outscored USC's bench 26-11, led by Mullins' 14 points. Mullins started the second half for Northwestern and proceeded not to sub out for the remainder of the game.
"He was bringing the energy," Collins said. "The shots go in when you play the right way, when you play with the right energy, you have the right spirit, and you're competing."
With over 15 minutes remaining in the first half, Northwestern took the lead with a Berry and-one floater. Berry scored nine of the 'Cats' first 18 points. Northwestern remained in control for the entire half, not surrendering its lead.
The 'Cats entered halftime with a 33-31 advantage after leading by as many as nine with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Northwestern recorded 14 offensive rebounds in the first half and 16 second chance points.
The 'Cats opened the second half with consecutive scoring possessions from alley-oop finishes by Nicholson. Graduate student Jalen Leach, who had a team-high six assists, recorded helpers on both possessions.
Northwestern's lead ballooned to as many as 15 with 10 minutes remaining after a 7-0 run. From there, the Trojans fought back into the contest, cutting the 'Cats lead to just five with four minutes remaining.
Martinelli scored eight of Northwestern's final 10 points to secure the 'Cats win. The Trojans never took the lead, although the game was tied at the time of Martinelli's game winner.
"I thought our guys did a good things along the way — to get the 15 point lead and then to rally after losing that lead," Collins said.
Northwestern hits the road to take on Big Ten foe Washington at 9:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 8. The game will air on BTN and WGN Radio 720.
Team Stats
USC
NU
FG%
.510
.409
3FG%
.500
.316
FT%
.667
.739
RB
27
43
TO
9
7
STL
2
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
27
FGM
11
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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