Northwestern (13-18, 5-15 B1G) erased a 15-point second-half deficit against Minnesota (15-16, 8-12 B1G), but Nick Martinelli couldn’t replicate last week’s magic as his go-ahead attempt with 3 seconds left was hit by a pin.
The visiting team struggled in the first half, trailing by as many as 16 points, but the Wildcats fought back in the second half with a tenacious defense, but the season would not end that way as the Gophers edged out a 67-66 victory.
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Last Saturday, Martinelli scored the winning goal in a 63-62 victory over the University of Oregon. He can’t do this anymore.
The Wildcats didn’t take the lead until 1:34 left in the second half. As expected, Nick Martinelli led the team’s comeback in the last regular season game of his college career, scoring 23 points and 9 rebounds on 9-for-18 shooting. Jake West kept the game close in the first half with his excellent outside shooting. He scored 14 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting. Trey Singleton scored 10 points and filled up the stat sheet with six rebounds and four dimes.
On the other hand, Langston Reynolds showed off his ability to slash the ball well leading the Gophers. He made 9 of 13 shots, made only 1 three-pointer, and sent 4 assists. Despite a poor shooting night, Cade Tyson still got his mark. Minnesota’s leading scorer finished with 15 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the charity stripe.
Minnesota came out of the gate hot with two quick scores. Cade Tyson started the game for the Gophers, taking advantage of a mismatch with Jayden Reid and hitting a tough mid-range jumper, followed by an easy layup by Grayson Grove. Nick Martinelli, who started scoring for Northwestern in his final regular-season game in purple and white, hit a layup after Angelo Ciaravino missed a shot.
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Martinelli’s layup would be the Wildcats’ only score before the first media timeout, and Isaac Asma’s seven quick points extended Minnesota’s lead to nine. Four minutes passed and the Wildcats had more turnovers than field goals.
Bobby Durkin hit a three-pointer from the wing to extend the lead to 12 points. Miscues by Martinelli and Reid put the Cats in deeper trouble, and Asuma’s two free throws gave Minnesota an 18-2 lead in the blink of an eye. Jordan Clayton hit a 3-pointer to break the scoring drought, but the Cats only scored twice in the first eight minutes.
Northwestern finally found some consistency on offense thanks to Ciaravino’s 3-pointer and Martinelli’s mid-range jumper, which ranks him fifth on the Wildcats’ all-time scoring list. Heading into the 12-minute timeout, the Cats found a rhythm on both ends of the floor, but the deficit remained in double digits.
A nice hook shot from Clayton to Tyler Kropp cut the Gophers’ lead to eight, but Minnesota would still hold a three-point lead. Northwestern’s shot-clock violation sent Barn into a frenzy and gave Minnesota an 11-point lead.
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Tyson showed some great off-ball movement to get open looks at the rim, but Jake West responded with his first three points of the night. Minnesota’s outside shooting was in a coma, and Durkin hit a three-pointer to chase the score to 31-17. The Gophers extended their lead to 16 points after another turnover, Northwestern’s sixth.
With 3:45 left in the game, Northwestern had nine turnovers and personal fouls, while Minnesota had only three. The Wildcats provided zero resistance to Minnesota’s cuts, and the Gophers didn’t miss out. With a minute left in the game, Martinelli and West finally got the ball in transition, pushing the lead back to the 10th. After the Wildcats went on a 6-0 run, a questionable foul call by Trey Singleton in the final seconds killed the momentum heading into halftime.
Minnesota led 39-29 at halftime. Martinelli led Northwestern with 10 points and Asma led all scorers with 11 points.
The Gophers took a 10-point lead on ridiculous shooting in the half. Minnesota shot 65.0% from the field and 57.3% from three-point range. Northwestern University was 37.0% and 27.3% respectively.
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The ‘Cats kept the pace thanks to a strong performance on the glass. Northwestern outscored the home team 8-1 on the offensive glass, aided by Martinelli’s three offensive rebounds.
Northwestern’s defense looked weak early in the second half. Minnesota started the second quarter with five consecutive layups to extend its lead to 16 points.
However, West just couldn’t pass up. The true first-year player hit his third 3-pointer of the night – a bomb from 27 feet – for 11 points. Suddenly, the Wildcats had a spark. On the other end, Mason Reynolds broke through two Wildcat defenders for a tough layup.
However, any momentum the Cats found on offense quickly evaporated due to their inability to stop.[I think a detailed explanation in one sentence]After the challenge was successful, Martinelli hit a tough reverse layup through contact, reducing the lead to eight points.
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With ten minutes left in the game, West was getting the job done on both ends. The freshman guard added another 3-pointer — his fourth of the night — and then had a great game on the other end.
However, Northwestern continued to leave shooters open, and Durkin’s 3-pointer extended Minnesota’s lead to ten and got the Barnyard excited.
After a quiet start to the second half, Martinelli got back on the board after a nice pass from Singleton. Northwestern now finally started closing in on shooters, cutting the deficit to five before Singleton’s dunk.
The ‘Cats’ offense came at the perfect time. With 4 minutes left in the game, Martinelli hit a three-pointer and reverse layup to chase the score to 61-58. With three minutes left, Martine cut the lead to two with an elbow strike. In desperate need of a stop, Northwestern brought the energy, forcing another shot clock violation.
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With a chance to take the lead, West found Clayton in the bottom corner and hit a three-pointer to take the lead! After Martinelli missed a long shot, Minnesota called a timeout with 40 seconds left to discuss. The shift is obvious. After playing loose and having no trouble finding open shooters, the Gophers couldn’t buy a bucket of water down the stretch.
Asma missed a pass just under the basket, resulting in a foul that sent Ciaravino to the free throw line with a chance to make the game a three-pointer. He calmly swung two, but Reynolds threw the ball away hard, pulling Minnesota back within one point.
The game will be decided at the free throw line, starting with Martinelli. His first shot bounced off the sides of the rim and squeaked. Late in the game, Reynolds was not blocked and he hit a layup with 11 seconds left to give the Gophers the lead.
After an ugly first half and thirty minutes of lackluster defense, the ‘Cats had a chance to win their final Big Ten regular season game in 2026. Of course, Collins dialed Martinelli’s number on the final possession of the game.
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Martinelli shot as soon as he touched the ball, draining a 3-pointer from the elbow with four seconds left. The ball bounced high off the back rim, and Northwestern couldn’t get the rebound in time for another shot.
Minnesota ended the regular season with a narrow victory, 67-66.
Northwestern will face Penn State (12-18, 3-16 B1G) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Tuesday, March 10. This game will begin 25 minutes after the end of the No. 16 vs. No. 17 game, which begins at 4 p.m. Central Time.
