Sunday, January 12
Evanston, Ill.
11 a.m. CT
Northwestern
10-6,1-4Big Ten
68
vs
78
#16 Michigan State
14-2,5-0Big Ten
1
2
F
Michigan St.
47
31
78
Northwestern
28
40
68
Photo by: GRIFFIN QUINN/Northwestern Athletics
Martinelli Scores 27 Points, ‘Cats Fall to No. 16 Michigan State
1/12/2025 2:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. - Junior Nick Martinelli scored a game-high 27 points, but Northwestern fell to No. 16 Michigan State 78-68 on Sunday afternoon inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats (10-6, 1-4 Big Ten) led for the opening six minutes, but the Spartans (14-2, 5-0 Big Ten) took the lead thereafter and never gave it back.
"Frustrating result for us today," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "Give Michigan State a lot of credit. They're playing great. They have a really good team, and they're really hot right now, and playing confidently."
Northwestern's last home loss to a ranked opponent had been against No. 5 Purdue on February 16, 2022. The loss snapped a streak of five consecutive wins at home against ranked opponents.
Martinelli's 27 points came on 8-of-18 shooting from the field and 9-of-12 from the free throw line. He became the fifth Wildcat since 2005-06 to score 25+ points against two ranked teams in a single season, which he also did against Illinois (Dec. 6). Martinelli recorded his fifth 25+ point game of the season, which is the most in a season by a Northwestern forward since John Shurna had six such games in 2011-12.
Graduate student Jalen Leach logged 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists while knocking down 8-of-9 of his free throw attempts. Leach recorded career-bests in Big Ten play in points, rebounds, and free throws made. He has scored double-digit points in six of his last seven games. It was Leach's most points in a game since Nov. 22, 2024 when he scored 21 against Pepperdine.
Northwestern found its offense early through Martinelli, whose three floaters netted the first six points for the 'Cats. Northwestern led by as many as five as it jumped out to a 16-14 lead with Martinelli leading the way with nine early points. At this juncture, however, Michigan State went on a 24-3 run — which included a 14-0 run within it — to catapult itself to a 38-19 lead.
At halftime, the Spartans led 47-28. Martinelli led the way for the Wildcats with 13 first-half points. Northwestern responded with a stronger second half, winning the stanza, 41-30,. Northwestern did not cut the lead to single digits until there was under one minute remaining in the contest.
"You don't come back from 23 down and cut it to eight in the second half if you're not playing hard and fighting," Collins said. "We're fighting. We have to play a lot smarter and a lot more efficiently and a lot better on both ends if we want to win."
The Wildcats will host Maryland inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. CT. The game will air on Big Ten Network and ESPN 1000 WMVP.
"Frustrating result for us today," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "Give Michigan State a lot of credit. They're playing great. They have a really good team, and they're really hot right now, and playing confidently."
Northwestern's last home loss to a ranked opponent had been against No. 5 Purdue on February 16, 2022. The loss snapped a streak of five consecutive wins at home against ranked opponents.
Martinelli's 27 points came on 8-of-18 shooting from the field and 9-of-12 from the free throw line. He became the fifth Wildcat since 2005-06 to score 25+ points against two ranked teams in a single season, which he also did against Illinois (Dec. 6). Martinelli recorded his fifth 25+ point game of the season, which is the most in a season by a Northwestern forward since John Shurna had six such games in 2011-12.
Graduate student Jalen Leach logged 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists while knocking down 8-of-9 of his free throw attempts. Leach recorded career-bests in Big Ten play in points, rebounds, and free throws made. He has scored double-digit points in six of his last seven games. It was Leach's most points in a game since Nov. 22, 2024 when he scored 21 against Pepperdine.
Northwestern found its offense early through Martinelli, whose three floaters netted the first six points for the 'Cats. Northwestern led by as many as five as it jumped out to a 16-14 lead with Martinelli leading the way with nine early points. At this juncture, however, Michigan State went on a 24-3 run — which included a 14-0 run within it — to catapult itself to a 38-19 lead.
At halftime, the Spartans led 47-28. Martinelli led the way for the Wildcats with 13 first-half points. Northwestern responded with a stronger second half, winning the stanza, 41-30,. Northwestern did not cut the lead to single digits until there was under one minute remaining in the contest.
"You don't come back from 23 down and cut it to eight in the second half if you're not playing hard and fighting," Collins said. "We're fighting. We have to play a lot smarter and a lot more efficiently and a lot better on both ends if we want to win."
The Wildcats will host Maryland inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. CT. The game will air on Big Ten Network and ESPN 1000 WMVP.
Team Stats
MSU
NU
FG%
.500
.356
3FG%
.500
.200
FT%
.741
.778
RB
37
30
TO
11
12
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
27
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
9
Pts
17
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
5
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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