Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, November 7
Evanston, Ill.
5 p.m. CT
Northwestern
2-0,0-0Big Ten
76
vs
52
Boston University
1-1,0-0Patriot
1
2
F
Boston U.
26
26
52
Northwestern
45
31
76
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern Earns Emphatic Win Over Boston University, 76-52
11/7/2025 8:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern cruised to a 76-52 victory over Boston University on Friday night in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"I was very proud of my team tonight," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "We really set the tone right away, defensively. We had talked about that coming into this game. We knew we had to bring the energy."
Behind senior forward Nick Martinelli's 20-point, nine-rebound display, the Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) swiftly distanced themselves from the Terriers (1-1, 0-0 Patriot League) and nabbed their second consecutive 20-plus-point win in as many games. Martinelli canned 7-of-12 field goals and converted his lone attempt from 3-point range.
Northwestern has given up the fewest points in a campaign's opening two games (49.5) since the 2008-2009 season. The Wildcats held the visitors to a 32.8 % shooting clip and forced 14 turnovers.
"That's our calling card," Collins said. "It's what we hang our hat on. There's going to be nights when you don't throw the ball in the ocean too well. There's going to be other nights where the offense looks pretty, you're flowing and you're getting stuff in transition…. We try to set a goal. Can we keep teams under 30? That takes commitment. It's an every-possession thing."
Junior guard Jayden Reid ran the floor with 17 points, eight assists and one turnover. NU posted 20 assists to five turnovers in the win.
"Coach Collins really emphasized taking care of the ball, making better decisions, not trying to always make the home run play and making singles," Reid said. "In this game, they didn't have many transition points at all, which led to our early lead, and we were able to sustain that."
Gallery: (11-7-2025) Men's Basketball vs. Boston University
Collins said Reid has opened up the team's ability to push transition.
For Martinelli, the increased tempo has been a "blast" to play in — though he quipped Reid's speed makes it tough to keep up.
"It's pretty awesome just seeing the guys flowing," Martinelli said. "When we get a rebound, it's bang, bang three."
In his 2025-26 season debut, sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino entered the starting lineup and tallied nine points and three rebounds.
"He earned that spot," Collins said of Ciaravino. "He's playing with more force and the pace of the game helps him push the ball. He was able to get out in the open floor, get a couple layups. [I'm] really pleased with his development and hopefully he'll only keep getting better."
Northwestern wreaked havoc on both ends of the floor early, building a 17-4 lead at the under-12 timeout. The 'Cats forced five Terrier turnovers within the game's first six and a half minutes, and BU missed 12 of its first 14 attempts from the field. The visitors went more than eight minutes between baskets during a dominant NU stretch of play.
The Wildcats led by as many as 22 points in the opening frame and carried a 45-26 advantage into halftime. The hosts converted eight consecutive field goals in the first half's final stretch.
Martinelli paced the Northwestern scoring effort with 15 first-half points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds.
After the break, BU missed its first eight shots from the field as the Wildcats extended their lead to 57-28 with 13:47 remaining in the contest. Northwestern retained its stronghold as it secured its second straight win to start the season.
"Overall, just a good team-win. We played better tonight than we did in the first game," Collins said. "It's what you want to see this early in the season. And we have to be better on Monday again."
The Wildcats return to action on Monday, Nov. 10 in the final test of a three-game homestand against Cleveland State. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on BTN and WGN Radio 720.
"I was very proud of my team tonight," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "We really set the tone right away, defensively. We had talked about that coming into this game. We knew we had to bring the energy."
Behind senior forward Nick Martinelli's 20-point, nine-rebound display, the Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) swiftly distanced themselves from the Terriers (1-1, 0-0 Patriot League) and nabbed their second consecutive 20-plus-point win in as many games. Martinelli canned 7-of-12 field goals and converted his lone attempt from 3-point range.
Worked for the Weekend ???? pic.twitter.com/kPptb2cT0l
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) November 8, 2025
Northwestern has given up the fewest points in a campaign's opening two games (49.5) since the 2008-2009 season. The Wildcats held the visitors to a 32.8 % shooting clip and forced 14 turnovers.
"That's our calling card," Collins said. "It's what we hang our hat on. There's going to be nights when you don't throw the ball in the ocean too well. There's going to be other nights where the offense looks pretty, you're flowing and you're getting stuff in transition…. We try to set a goal. Can we keep teams under 30? That takes commitment. It's an every-possession thing."
Junior guard Jayden Reid ran the floor with 17 points, eight assists and one turnover. NU posted 20 assists to five turnovers in the win.
"Coach Collins really emphasized taking care of the ball, making better decisions, not trying to always make the home run play and making singles," Reid said. "In this game, they didn't have many transition points at all, which led to our early lead, and we were able to sustain that."
Collins said Reid has opened up the team's ability to push transition.
For Martinelli, the increased tempo has been a "blast" to play in — though he quipped Reid's speed makes it tough to keep up.
"It's pretty awesome just seeing the guys flowing," Martinelli said. "When we get a rebound, it's bang, bang three."
In his 2025-26 season debut, sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino entered the starting lineup and tallied nine points and three rebounds.
"He earned that spot," Collins said of Ciaravino. "He's playing with more force and the pace of the game helps him push the ball. He was able to get out in the open floor, get a couple layups. [I'm] really pleased with his development and hopefully he'll only keep getting better."
Northwestern wreaked havoc on both ends of the floor early, building a 17-4 lead at the under-12 timeout. The 'Cats forced five Terrier turnovers within the game's first six and a half minutes, and BU missed 12 of its first 14 attempts from the field. The visitors went more than eight minutes between baskets during a dominant NU stretch of play.
The Wildcats led by as many as 22 points in the opening frame and carried a 45-26 advantage into halftime. The hosts converted eight consecutive field goals in the first half's final stretch.
Martinelli paced the Northwestern scoring effort with 15 first-half points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds.
After the break, BU missed its first eight shots from the field as the Wildcats extended their lead to 57-28 with 13:47 remaining in the contest. Northwestern retained its stronghold as it secured its second straight win to start the season.
"Overall, just a good team-win. We played better tonight than we did in the first game," Collins said. "It's what you want to see this early in the season. And we have to be better on Monday again."
The Wildcats return to action on Monday, Nov. 10 in the final test of a three-game homestand against Cleveland State. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on BTN and WGN Radio 720.
Team Stats
BU
NU
FG%
.328
.517
3FG%
.391
.368
FT%
.714
.538
RB
37
36
TO
14
5
STL
0
7
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
17
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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