The Wildcats failed to avoid a three-game losing streak at Welsh-Ryan this afternoon against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Northwestern lost the contest by a score of 86-82, and the team now sits at 5-4 on the season and 0-2 in the Big Ten.
Northwestern certainly improved upon some things in this game. For one, it rebounded the ball better. The 'Cats won the battle on the glass, 34-29, and snatched 13 offensive boards as a team to OSU's nine. They also made a more concerted effort to get shooters open from long distance, an area where they must become more effective.
Nick Martinelli was fantastic, leading the way on the scoresheet for Northwestern. The Wildcats' best player finished with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting with seven rebounds and a 10-of-12 mark at the foul line.
His body control in the paint was top-notch this afternoon. Martinelli caused serious problems down there with or without the ball in his hands. It was a game that should remind folks he led the Big Ten in scoring last season and is a massive matchup issue for most every team in this conference.
Angelo Ciaravino is also in the process of breaking out for Northwestern. He finished the afternoon with 14 points and eight rebounds -- he had a few electrifying dunks that sent Welsh-Ryan into a frenzy. Defensively, Ciaravino is Mr. Solid -- he was one of the few true bright spots on that end of the floor against the Buckeyes.
Northwestern led 44-40 at the end of the first half, and that score tells a lot of the story. The 'Cats were feeling it on offense early. Martinelli dominated, with 18 points in the first on 6-of-10 shooting. He also corralled six rebounds, and five of them came on the offensive end, a huge boost for an NU team that doesn't typically get second chance points. It led 13-4 in that category at the half and 23-9 at the final buzzer.
As a team, Northwestern knocked down eight three-pointers in this game, firing 24 times. Jordan Clayton, who drew into the starting lineup replacing Tre Singleton in this game, made two of the triples, and K.J. Windham electrified the crowd at the end of the first half with two of his own.
The problem was, the defensive struggles Northwestern had been dealing with in previous games absolutely carried over into this contest. Ohio State shot the ball well, but there were still too many defensive miscues and avoidable mismatches in the paint. Transfers Jayden Reid and Arrinten Page are really having a tough time on that end recently, and it continued today.
The 'Cats also turned the ball over 14 times, more than a Collins-coached team normally does. It burned them, as they allowed 18 points off turnovers and only took advantage of the Buckeyes' 11 turnovers for 11 points.
In the second half, Northwestern started to look a little more out of sync offensively. The 'Cats scored just 17 points in the first ten minutes of the frame. Ohio State also simply shot the ball at a more efficient clip than the Wildcats, especially in the second half. They finished the game with a 57% mark from the field to Northwestern's 48%.
The cold spell in the second half and a continued inability to defend were enough to keep the 'Cats from getting back in the win column. Northwestern improved in some areas of its game -- rebounding and three-point shooting come to mind -- and Martinelli was magnificent, but NU fell once again.
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