Northwestern Cruises Past Penn State 76-66, Advances to Big Ten Tournament Second Round

Though inauspicious weather with thunderstorms brought doom, the fighter in purple and white denied all sorts of unfortunate in Chicago.

Northwestern (14-18, 5-15 B1G) advanced to the Big Ten Tournament's second round with a commanding 76-66 victory over Penn State (12-20, 3-17 B1G) on Tuesday night at the United Center. Despite a back-and-forth first half, the ‘Cats didn’t slip into a thrilling late-game scenario and curbed the Nitany Lions’ desire to rally.

Though playing without Arrinten Page, Nick Martinelli led all players with 24 points with nine rebounds, while Jayden Reid broke his scoreless embarrassment from the last game with 14 points and a team-record nine assists in the conference tournament. The ‘Cats' freshman class stood out with 23 points combined.

After missing two shots and trailing on Penn State's first two field goals, Northwestern surged ahead with five straight points from Martinelli and Jake West. Ivan Juric led the Nittany Lions' offense with five consecutive points, but the Wildcats responded with triples from Reid and Jordan Clayton.

Despite Chris Collins recognizing Juric's ability to weave through Northwestern's defense with mismatch buckets and deploying backup center Tyler Kropp to counter, Juric remained unfazed with an and-one play. But Martinelli and Reid led Northwestern's offense with consecutive buckets, building a 20-16 advantage eight minutes into the game.

Freddie Dillione V's five-point burst tied the score at 21. Kropp grabbed a second chance and drew a foul under the rim for two free throws. With five minutes remaining before halftime, Penn State retook the lead with two straight three-pointers.

Martinelli darted in for a quick open layup on a baseline cut. West followed with a drive after finding a lane to the basket. Kropp faced a double team but handled the pressure with a dime to Reid nearby, who then dished to Martinelli for another open layup. Northwestern led 32-29 with 1:33 before halftime.

Penn State stormed back with a triple by Keyden Mingo. Kropp forced a turnover with a steal, leading to West's transition finish for the final field goal of the first half. Northwestern held a slim 34-32 edge at the break.

Kropp opened the second half with a cutting bucket, followed by Martinelli's three-pointer from the right wing. The Nittany Lions kept the game close, trailing by just one after Josh Reed splashed a trey. Reid responded with a hard drive and converted an and-one play. Angelo Ciaravino, playing in his hometown, drove deep and faced up for a contested layup, extending the Wildcats' advantage to six at the 16:00 mark.

Martinelli wore down Penn State's pressure with a transition drive before capturing a second-chance bucket for a better lead. Justin Mullins exploded with two straight three-pointers—his first triples since the Howard game at Welsh-Ryan on December 30.

Following Mullins' prowess from beyond the arc, the Wildcats maintained their advantage between five and seven points, preventing Penn State from mounting a rally. After Reed's layup, West drew a shooting foul and netted two free throws. Tre Singleton, battling foul trouble, broke his silence with a windmill drive and contact. Clayton followed with a contested transition drive, extending the lead to nine at 64-55 with roughly six minutes remaining.

As the Nittany Lions remained ice-cold under Northwestern's tighter defense, the Wildcats created their first double-digit lead at 66-55 after Reid's two free throws. In the final three minutes, Penn State showed signs of surrender while Northwestern kept attacking. Singleton ignited with four consecutive points to seal the victory.

Northwestern advanced past Penn State 76-62, moving to the second round for an Indiana rematch on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. CT at the United Center.