The Wildcats found scoring from all parts of their lineup to reach a 3-0 start.
Cincinnati transfer Arrinten Page has been everything Chris Collins could've wanted and more to begin the season. The Northwestern center continued his spectacular start to his Wildcat career on Monday, logging 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in NU's 110-63 win over Cleveland State.
The 'Cats are 3-0 after taking down the Vikings, and the duo of Page and All-Big Ten forward Nick Martinelli has come as advertised. Martinelli went a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc on the way to 21 points and seven rebounds, while Justin Mullins contributed 16 points.
Page, Martinelli and Mullins combined to shoot 23-of-32 from the field. As a team, the Wildcats shot 60.3% overall and 52.4% from three.
Page had his way in the paint early on, throwing down three dunks in the game's opening minutes. The big man's post dominance created opportunities for Martinelli and Mullins, who each connected on triples amid a 20-4 Northwestern run.
The Wildcats' athleticism continued to expand their first-half lead. After a K.J. Windham three-pointer rattled off the rim, sophomore Angelo Ciaravino came flying in from the wing for the putback jam. Martinelli added a transition dunk of his own, and shortly after, Jayden Reid found Page for an electric alley-oop that brought the house down.
Northwestern went into the break with a 53-28 lead, and didn't take its foot off the gas pedal. After initially allowing a surge of Cleveland State three-pointers to begin the half, the 'Cats pulled away with continued offensive success. Martinelli's floater proved too much for the Vikings, while freshman Tre Singleton had a breakout performance with a career-high 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Holy Cross transfer Max Green went nuclear down the stretch in just six minutes, making four consecutive threes en route to 16 points. His final, which put the Wildcats up by 46, came with his heels just in front of the mid-court 'N' logo.
The 'Cats will head into nearby Chicago to face DePaul on Friday, and won't return to Welsh-Ryan Arena until early December.