Northwestern University Athletics
Sunday, December 15
Milwaukee, Wis.
3 p.m. CT
Northwestern
8-3,1-1Big Ten
71
vs
60
Georgia Tech
4-6,0-1ACC
1
2
F
Georgia Tech
26
34
60
Northwestern
31
40
71
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Wildcats Secure Wire-to-Wire Victory over Georgia Tech, 71-60
12/15/2024 6:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MILWAUKEE - Northwestern defeated Georgia Tech 71-60 wire-to-wire fashion behind senior Brooks Barnhizer's fourth consecutive double-double on Sunday afternoon at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The Wildcats' (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten) suffocating defense forced the Yellow Jackets (4-6, 0-1 ACC) into a season-high 16 turnovers and held them to their second-fewest points of the season.
Barnhizer was all over the floor, posting 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks. He became the third Big Ten player since 2005-06 to post these numbers in a game and the first to do so since Iowa's Keegan Murray in 2021. He became the first Wildcat to do so since at least 2000 and the first Big Ten player to do so this season.
With the win, the Wildcats have now started the season 8-3 or better in each of the last three seasons. Northwestern converted 9-of-22 (40.9%) from its shots from three-point range, tying its most made threes in a game this season.
The 'Cats started the game rolling, as Martinelli scored the first five points for Northwestern, which ultimately jumped out to an early 11-0 lead during the game's first six minutes. The 'Cats held Georgia Tech scoreless for the game's opening 6:20 after the Yellow Jackets (4-6, 0-1 ACC) missed their first seven shots and turned the ball over four times.
Halfway through the first half, Northwestern widened its lead to a half-high 12 points on the heels of a Leach 3-pointer to make the score 21-9. Georgia Tech fought back to cut the lead to three with just under a minute remaining in the first half, but a Barnhizer turnaround jump shot with under 10 seconds in the half gave Northwestern a 31-26 lead at the break.
The Wildcats have held their opponent to under 30 points in the first half in five of their last six games.
Gallery: (12-15-2024) Men's Basketball vs. Georgia Tech
Northwestern began the second half like it did the first with a strong performance. The 'Cats got out to a 12-2 run early on, which included seven unanswered to open the half. Berry's 200th career three made it a 47-30 game.
Northwestern then responded with a 10-0 run to make it a 20-point contest, which included five points from Barnhizer and was capped off by Berry's third three of the game. The 'Cats easily turned defense to offense with four fast break points during this run, which made it a 57-37 game with 7:39 remaining.
The Wildcats return to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a matchup with crosstown foe DePaul on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. CT. The matchup will air on Big Ten Network and ESPN 1000 WMVP.
Barnhizer was all over the floor, posting 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks. He became the third Big Ten player since 2005-06 to post these numbers in a game and the first to do so since Iowa's Keegan Murray in 2021. He became the first Wildcat to do so since at least 2000 and the first Big Ten player to do so this season.
Junior Nick Martinelli and graduate student Jalen Leach also contributed 16 points each, as Northwestern has now had at least three players score 15 points in three consecutive games for the first time since at least 2005-06. Graduate student Ty Berry tallied 11 points, shooting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, five rebounds and three steals. He knocked down his 200th career three-pointer with 13:01 remaining in the second half, becoming the tenth player in program history to reach that mark.The Boys are Buzzin' pic.twitter.com/z4uMdd05Ea
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) December 15, 2024
With the win, the Wildcats have now started the season 8-3 or better in each of the last three seasons. Northwestern converted 9-of-22 (40.9%) from its shots from three-point range, tying its most made threes in a game this season.
The 'Cats started the game rolling, as Martinelli scored the first five points for Northwestern, which ultimately jumped out to an early 11-0 lead during the game's first six minutes. The 'Cats held Georgia Tech scoreless for the game's opening 6:20 after the Yellow Jackets (4-6, 0-1 ACC) missed their first seven shots and turned the ball over four times.
Halfway through the first half, Northwestern widened its lead to a half-high 12 points on the heels of a Leach 3-pointer to make the score 21-9. Georgia Tech fought back to cut the lead to three with just under a minute remaining in the first half, but a Barnhizer turnaround jump shot with under 10 seconds in the half gave Northwestern a 31-26 lead at the break.
The Wildcats have held their opponent to under 30 points in the first half in five of their last six games.
Northwestern began the second half like it did the first with a strong performance. The 'Cats got out to a 12-2 run early on, which included seven unanswered to open the half. Berry's 200th career three made it a 47-30 game.
Northwestern then responded with a 10-0 run to make it a 20-point contest, which included five points from Barnhizer and was capped off by Berry's third three of the game. The 'Cats easily turned defense to offense with four fast break points during this run, which made it a 57-37 game with 7:39 remaining.
The Wildcats return to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a matchup with crosstown foe DePaul on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. CT. The matchup will air on Big Ten Network and ESPN 1000 WMVP.
Team Stats
GaTech
NU
FG%
.393
.400
3FG%
.292
.409
FT%
.692
.625
RB
42
36
TO
16
6
STL
1
9
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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