Northwestern Comeback Runs Out of Gas in 76-62 Loss to Washington

Northwestern's rocky season seemed to have turned the corner with two victories in three games, but the Wildcats hit a speed bump instead on Saturday night.

The 'Cats' second-half rally wasn't enough to erase a 21-point deficit to Washington, which beat Northwestern, 76-62. Although NU pulled within as few as eight points, the Wildcats couldn't convert down the stretch and ultimately fell to 10-12 (2-9 B1G) on the season.

A three-headed attack spearheaded the Washington (12-10, 4-7 B1G) offense. German big man Hannes Steinbach logged a 22-point, 14-rebound double-double, while Zoom Diallo (22 points) and Wesley Yates III (21 on five three-pointers) were lethal outside the paint.

Nick Martinelli's 12-game streak of 20+ points came to an end, as the nation's leading scorer entering Saturday was held to 19 points and nine rebounds.

Arrinten Page bounced back from a game in which he played just three minutes with a strong performance. In 26 minutes, Page finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and a steal.

Jayden Reid went for 11 points and five assists off the bench. He and Page both saw their most playing time in over two weeks.

Washington center Franck Kepnang blocked three shots in the first four minutes as part of a stalwart defensive effort. The Cameroonian big man seemed to swat the 'Cats' shots almost every time they drove into the lane, helping keep the Huskies ahead for much of the first half.

Jake West's energy on both ends of the floor provided a spark for Northwestern. Down three points, West hustled back on a surefire transition basket to knock the ball away from Yates, then applied pressure that forced Kepnang to miss a dunk.

Tre Singleton was Northwestern's most reliable scorer over the first 20 minutes, notching nine points on 4-of-7 shooting. His first two baskets both came off West assists, and he used his size to draw a pair of and-one opportunities through contact.

Despite the success of the freshmen 'Cats, Northwestern still entered the half in a double-digit hole. Washington used a 12-4 run over the final 4:15 — with 10 of those points coming from Yates — to take a 39-27 lead into the break.

The Huskies scored nine consecutive points to begin the second half as Yates and Steinbach gashed Northwestern. However, the 'Cats found success with Page on the floor for his first extended minutes since mid-January. Northwestern turned a 21-point deficit into a single-digit margin with an 18-5 run, largely thanks to Page's presence down low.

Page took a short breather, and Washington immediately capitalized with a pair of layups. Chris Collins moved to put his junior center back into the game after just 2:51 on the bench.

The Wildcats couldn't get their deficit lower than eight, though, in the final minutes. Diallo, Yates and Steinbach took turns hitting dagger shots as the Northwestern offense stalled. Washington knocked down seven of its last eight shot attempts to end the game.

Northwestern's road ahead is far from a walk in the park. Over the next two weeks, the Wildcats are slated to play three top-10 opponents in No. 9 Illinois (Feb. 4), No. 3 Michigan (Feb. 11) and No. 5 Nebraska (Feb. 14).