An unstoppable force met a very movable object on Saturday, as Northwestern's nightmare season hit another low. The 'Cats have dropped five consecutive games and now sit at 8-10 (0-7 Big Ten) on the year.

Nebraska handled Northwestern in the second half of its 77-58 win at Welsh-Ryan Arena, and poor shooting was once again a main storyline for the Wildcats. Here are three of our biggest takeaways from the game:

The No. 8 Cornhuskers are a perfect 18-0 (7-0 B1G) on the season, and it's clear they'd be ranked higher if they were named anything other than Nebraska. Although Northwestern kept the game close in the first half, the Huskers were able to pull away by going on long scoring runs that crushed the Wildcats.

In the second half alone, Nebraska had stretches in which it scored seven, six and 11 consecutive points. The Huskers rattled off a 17-3 run to turn a five-point game into a 19-point drubbing, which essentially sealed the game.

Make no mistake, Nebraska is a very good team, but Northwestern did not play well at all. Chris Collins' squad can clearly play at the level of some of the Big Ten's top teams for short spurts, but not for 40 minutes.

The Big Ten's leading scorer once again got his points, but it was far from an efficient performance. Martinelli shot 9-of-20 from the field and missed many attempts that are usually his bread-and-butter, such as the mid-range floaters and post hooks.

Although he finished with 22 points (as well as 10 rebounds), Martinelli's struggles were amplified when neither Arrinten Page nor Jayden Reid could generate offense. The lack of supplementary play proved detrimental against the Huskers, who eventually pulled away.

Page played just nine minutes, did not attempt a shot and was drowning on the defensive end. Reid ended up with seven points (2-of-6 FG), five assists and four rebounds off the bench, but also turned the ball over four times.

This season was always going to be defined by Northwestern's Class of 2025. The five-man group that ranked 30th in the nation has already made its presence felt on the current team, with Tre Singleton, Jake West and Tyler Kropp earning significant minutes.

Singleton — the program's highest-rated recruit in history — has continued to find his groove after a slow start to the year and recent cold stretch. Collins brought the four-star prospect off the bench for a few games mid-season before reinstating him in the starting lineup, and Singleton has a viable case to be considered Northwestern's best defender. In 35 minutes against Nebraska, he scored 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting and had two rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.

The exciting development for Northwestern is West, who started his second consecutive game on Saturday. In addition to making five of his last eight triples, the Philadelphia native has also become much more passable on the defensive end. West, at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, is an undersized point guard who struggled on defense to begin the year. He has now clearly earned Collins' trust and can stand his ground against larger opponents.