Just two days after a crushing loss to Virginia at the Greenbrier Tip-Off, Northwestern nearly suffered another gut punch to South Carolina.

Arrinten Page made a layup with just 0.8 seconds remaining to lead the Wildcats (5-1) past the Gamecocks (4-2) on Sunday evening, 79-77. South Carolina erased a 12-point Northwestern advantage over the final four-and-a-half minutes, but Page's clutch shot gave the 'Cats a victory in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.

Nick Martinelli bounced back from a seven-point effort against Virginia with a season-high 25 points. The Big Ten's leading scorer from a year ago also tallied seven rebounds and two assists, one of which came on Page's buzzer-beater.

Page finished with 10 points, six assists, three rebounds, a block and a steal, while Jayden Reid nearly had a double-double with eight points and nine dimes. Max Green hit three triples en route to 13 points off the bench.

Northwestern led for nearly 31 minutes of game time and held the Gamecocks to 29.4% from deep. The Wildcats still faced a discrepancy on the offensive glass, but stayed out of foul trouble.

Martinelli wasted no time getting on the scoreboard after his tough offensive performance on Friday. The senior forward tallied five quick points to quell an initial South Carolina run as both teams traded early blows.

The lead alternated until Green substituted in with the 'Cats trailing, 22-21. Green, who was held scoreless in six minutes against Virginia, knocked down a pair of triples from the left wing. Reid then found Angelo Ciaravino for a transition slam to complete an 8-0 run and put the Wildcats ahead, 29-22.

South Carolina surged over the final minutes of the first half to make it a two-point game. Northwestern led the Gamecocks, 36-34, thanks to a well-balanced scoring approach.

Martinelli and Tre Singleton's success in the low post gave the 'Cats a boost out of the break, but South Carolina's three-pointers finally began to fall. After the team started just 3-of-20 from deep, Elijah Strong and Kobe Knox connected on back-to-back triples to keep the Gamecocks within striking distance.

With the 'Cats leading, 53-50, Martinelli and Page led a 7-2 run that came entirely in the paint. South Carolina pulled within two, then Green used another three and a fastbreak layup to keep Northwestern in control.

Green's takeover continued as the second half waned. The Holy Cross transfer linked up with Justin Mullins for a transition dunk and capped off NU's 9-0 run with a backdoor layup. Reid converted on an and-one opportunity to put the Wildcats up by 12 with under five minutes remaining.

However, Meechie Johnson refused to let Northwestern pull away. The graduate student guard scored seven points in a row over just 35 seconds, and after the Gamecocks forced a shot clock violation, Strong went 2-of-2 at the line to tie the game at 75.

Martinelli's hook shot took the lead with 49 seconds remaining, then Mike Sharavjamts evened the score with two free throws. Northwestern's captain found himself trapped in the corner as time wound down, but calmly located Page for the game-winning bucket just before the buzzer.

Northwestern will return to action on Thanksgiving night with a matchup against Oklahoma State at the United Center.

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