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Nick Martinelli talks his Northwestern career and the Big Ten Tournament
Nick Martinelli will end his storied Northwestern career soon, but he wants to play as long as he can. Martinelli talks about his NU career with Cassie Carlson.
It was tight.
Northwestern basketball had a slim lead in the second half. Penn State was in the bonus. They couldn't be too aggressive, but couldn't let the foot off the gas.
It was a good moment for NU to grow up.
The Wildcats eliminated Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament with a 76-66 win.
Here are our takeaways from the United Center, as Northwestern found a way to grow up with the chips were down.
Cats navigated the nip-and-tuck fight
The first half was basically a stalemate.
Northwestern led 34-32 at the break, and it somehow felt like a tie game with neither team breaking 20 points.
Neither team had a decisive run to take control of the game. Nick Martinelli had a quick six-point burst, but Northwestern couldn't build on top of that.
Northwestern did go into the under-16 timeout with a six-point lead. The 'Cats had a seven-point lead and Martinelli was inches away from getting on a fast break with a steal. The ball went out of bounds, and Penn State got a three-point play on its next possession.
Northwestern was ahead for most of the game. But, the ‘Cats never found a way to go on a run or pull ahead. Penn State would answer. It didn’t help when Penn State got into the bonus with 11:56 left in the game.
With 10:58 left and a six-point lead again, Jayden Reid split his free throws to make it a seven-point game. It was a chance for Northwestern to get on a run and pull ahead with a comfortable grasp on the game.
This was the night for Northwestern, which had to find ways to navigate a tight game with a young roster.
The 'Cats did. They built a 13-point lead with 3:48 left in the game.
All grown up
Northwestern's young roster was a storyline all season.
That's why the team struggled early on in Big Ten play. It's why the 'Cats came close but could never quite finish near-upsets.
Tuesday night was a war of attrition, though.
With Penn State in the double bonus, Justin Mullins sitting with four fouls and two other players holding onto three fouls, this was one of the ultimate tests for this young Wildcats team.
It was a test of how much they learned about composure.
Tre Singleton, playing with three fouls for the final 10 minutes, played extremely sound defense. Younger players have a bad habit of fouling consistently when adjusting to the college game. Singleton shook that habit Tuesday night in a game where the 'Cats needed to survive and advance.
Tyler Kropp had his grown-up moment, too. He had multiple offensive rebounds, showing how much stronger he's gotten in a game without Arrinten Page.
Jake West had fast and decisive drives to the basket to keep Northwestern in front. His court vision has gotten better, as has his confidence.
Closing time
Northwestern has had multiple moments this year when it had a game in its grasp, only to fold.
It happened against Purdue on senior night. It happened a few days later against Minnesota on the road.
Up 13 with less than four minutes to go, Northwestern had a chance to close out the Nitanny Lions after Martinelli had a breakaway dunk.
They did.
Singelton, Reid and Page all contributed with points and key defensive stops. The 'Cats move on to play Washington.