Northwestern Defeats Maryland, 78-74, In Late-Game Thriller

A sense of familiarity arose when Northwestern and Maryland dogfought in the late-game mud. Though falling short continuously on the free-throw line, the 'Cats survived amid a thriller.

Northwestern (11-16, 3-13 B1G) snapped its seven-game losing streak with a hard-fought 78-74 victory over Maryland (10-16, 3-12 B1G) at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday night. Though their early cushion over the Terrapins vanished, the Wildcats defended home later for their third conference victory.

Nick Martinelli led the way with 29 points, including three triples made. Jordan Clayton posted a career-high 20 points, including knocking down six three-pointers. Angelo Ciaravino notched 16 points and grabbed five rebounds.

On Maryland's end, Andre Mills burst out with his career-high 39 points. Solomon Washington contributed a double-double (11 points and 14 rebounds).

Martinelli opened the game strong with five quick points to build early momentum. West followed with a triple before Mills took over with eight solo points to tie the score. Reid sparked with a highly-contested layup under pressure, giving Northwestern its first lead at 10-8 before the first media timeout five minutes in.

After forcing a Maryland turnover in the paint, Angelo Ciaravino led the ensuing transition and fed Martinelli for an easy floater. Martinelli then cruised for four consecutive points, while Page and Ciaravino combined for five more to extend the Wildcats' advantage to seven. The Terrapins responded with Mills' and-one drive.

Leading 21-17, Ciaravino powered in for two under the rim. Jordan Clayton came off the bench with an open three, pushing Northwestern's lead to eight at 27-19.

Though both teams played sloppily and traded empty possessions, the Terrapins capitalized on a Northwestern lapse as Mills added five quick points. Ciaravino collected West's feed and finished an alley-oop. Martinelli and West's ensuing three points solidified Northwestern's advantage at 32-26, while Mills battled alone with 20 points so far.

As Maryland cut it to a four-point game, Clayton delivered another clutch three. But the Terrapins remained threatening with four straight points in a minute. After Page's turnover, Maryland closed within one on Collin Metcalf's dunk with one minute remaining before halftime. Reid executed the final play, but his shot was contested by Metcalf. Northwestern prevented the opponent from scoring in the final 10 seconds after Mills committed a lost-ball turnover. The Wildcats held a slim 35-34 advantage at the break.

Turning to the second half, Martinelli dropped a triple, but the Terrapins rallied with five points to retake their first lead of the night. Singleton logged his first basket for a tie. Ciaravino drew a hard foul on a fastbreak drive, nailing both shots from the charity stripe.

Both teams then traded baskets to exchange leads, as Ciaravino soared for a dunk after Isaiah Watts' three-pointer. The Terrapins established a four-point lead while the Wildcats were stuck in turnover turmoil. Solomon Washington capitalized on a second chance for a six-point advantage before Clayton splashed his third triple of the game. West followed with another trey to tie the game at 50.

Clayton ignited with another three from the right corner, allowing Northwestern to reclaim the lead at 53-50 before Maryland's timeout. Clayton splashed his fifth three-pointer after creating space with a pump-fake move. Ciaravino powered in for a second-chance putback, extending the lead to eight.

Though Mills knocked down a contested three to cut the deficit, Clayton heated up with his sixth trey, and Martinelli connected on a transition layup that forced the Terrapins to call another timeout with 7:38 remaining. Northwestern led 63-53, its first double-digit advantage of the night.

Coming out of the timeout, the Wildcats remained hot as Martinelli drained a three from the weakside. The Terrapins cut it to 66-59 with five minutes left. Martinelli stepped up again, drawing two straight fouls in traffic and converting four points from the line to push the lead back to 11.

In another late-game situation that has plagued Northwestern this season, Maryland battled back with three consecutive fouls drawn, converting six points from the stripe. But this time, Northwestern snatched it well with Martinelli's four points while elevating their defense to force turnovers. The Wildcats survived the late-game pressure for a four-point victory.