Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, December 13
Evanston, Ill.
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
6-4,0-2Big Ten
93
vs
53
Jackson State
1-9,0-0SWAC
1
2
F
Jackson St.
24
29
53
Northwestern
41
52
93
Collins Secures 200th Victory as NU Routs Jackson State, 93-53
12/13/2025 4:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. — A week removed from its Big Ten home opener, Northwestern delivered an emphatic return to nonconference play at Welsh-Ryan Arena, knocking off Jackson State 93-53 on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins became the second coach in program history to reach the 200 wins mark at Northwestern and the first since Naismith Hall of Famer Dutch Lonborg (1927-50).
Behind 22 points and five rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting from senior forward Nick Martinelli, the Wildcats (6-4, 0-2 Big Ten) never trailed the Tigers (1-9). Sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino turned in 13 points on an efficient 5-of-6 clip from the field.
Junior forward Arrinten Page joined Martinelli and Ciaravino in double figures, tallying 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds. The Northwestern bench added 34 points, with first-year forward Tre Singleton's nine points pacing the group.
"I was really proud of our bench," Collins said. "We're trying to firm up our rotations and a lot of guys did some good things."
The hosts converted 50% of their shots from the field and limited Jackson State to a 28.6% field goal percentage. The 'Cats forced the Tigers into 13 turnovers.
Northwestern forced misses on Jackson State's first eight shots from the field and established an early upper hand. Behind a 12-0 run midway through the first half, the Wildcats built a 26-11 edge just beyond the under-8 timeout.
The Tigers went scoreless in the first half's final 3:09 as Northwestern entered the halftime break with a 41-24 lead. Junior guard Jayden Reid led the Wildcats' early scoring effort with nine points on 2-of-4 shooting. Martinelli added eight first-half points and grabbed a team-high four boards.
Jackson State's 24 first-half points marked the fewest points Northwestern has allowed in an opening frame this season. The Wildcats held the Tigers to 27.6% shooting in the initial 20 minutes of action.
Less than five minutes into the second half, Martinelli turned in six unanswered points to stretch the Northwestern lead to 54-31.
The 'Cats maintained their stronghold as the frame progressed and returned to the win column with a convincing result. NU has now won two games by at least 40 points in 2025-26, marking just the second time in program history that the team has racked up a pair of 40-point wins in a single season (2020-21).
"I'm impressed with our guys — there was no excuse-making," Collins said. "We had a tough couple weeks, three games that were tough losses. It's hard when you don't win and you have a couple weeks when you don't taste winning."
"Our guys' attitude stayed the same. They stayed together, they stayed connected, they listened to coaching, they wanted to get better this week and there was progress. That's all I can ask for, and hopefully we'll keep getting better the more we play and practice."
The Wildcats will return to action at home against Valparaiso on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Tipoff from Welsh-Ryan Arena is slated for 7 p.m. CT on Peacock and ESPN 1000 WMVP.
With the win, Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins became the second coach in program history to reach the 200 wins mark at Northwestern and the first since Naismith Hall of Famer Dutch Lonborg (1927-50).
"I didn't even know," Collins said of the milestone. "I was just so locked in on trying to help these guys get back on track. We had a long week of practice trying to regain some confidence and good play. Anytime there's coaching accolades, it's always a testament to the tons of guys who've worn the uniform, competed and fought for me and our staff."2??0??0??@coach_collins secures his 200th career win! pic.twitter.com/4yS3eO8sX5
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) December 13, 2025
Behind 22 points and five rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting from senior forward Nick Martinelli, the Wildcats (6-4, 0-2 Big Ten) never trailed the Tigers (1-9). Sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino turned in 13 points on an efficient 5-of-6 clip from the field.
Junior forward Arrinten Page joined Martinelli and Ciaravino in double figures, tallying 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds. The Northwestern bench added 34 points, with first-year forward Tre Singleton's nine points pacing the group.
"I was really proud of our bench," Collins said. "We're trying to firm up our rotations and a lot of guys did some good things."
The hosts converted 50% of their shots from the field and limited Jackson State to a 28.6% field goal percentage. The 'Cats forced the Tigers into 13 turnovers.
Northwestern forced misses on Jackson State's first eight shots from the field and established an early upper hand. Behind a 12-0 run midway through the first half, the Wildcats built a 26-11 edge just beyond the under-8 timeout.
The Tigers went scoreless in the first half's final 3:09 as Northwestern entered the halftime break with a 41-24 lead. Junior guard Jayden Reid led the Wildcats' early scoring effort with nine points on 2-of-4 shooting. Martinelli added eight first-half points and grabbed a team-high four boards.
Jackson State's 24 first-half points marked the fewest points Northwestern has allowed in an opening frame this season. The Wildcats held the Tigers to 27.6% shooting in the initial 20 minutes of action.
Less than five minutes into the second half, Martinelli turned in six unanswered points to stretch the Northwestern lead to 54-31.
The 'Cats maintained their stronghold as the frame progressed and returned to the win column with a convincing result. NU has now won two games by at least 40 points in 2025-26, marking just the second time in program history that the team has racked up a pair of 40-point wins in a single season (2020-21).
"I'm impressed with our guys — there was no excuse-making," Collins said. "We had a tough couple weeks, three games that were tough losses. It's hard when you don't win and you have a couple weeks when you don't taste winning."
"Our guys' attitude stayed the same. They stayed together, they stayed connected, they listened to coaching, they wanted to get better this week and there was progress. That's all I can ask for, and hopefully we'll keep getting better the more we play and practice."
The Wildcats will return to action at home against Valparaiso on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Tipoff from Welsh-Ryan Arena is slated for 7 p.m. CT on Peacock and ESPN 1000 WMVP.
Cold Outside, Hot In Here ?? pic.twitter.com/27Of0CgHo9
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) December 13, 2025
Team Stats
JSU
NU
FG%
.286
.500
3FG%
.240
.269
FT%
.652
.769
RB
29
45
TO
13
10
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballMen's Basketball - Jackson State Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, December 13
Men's Basketball - Collins Claims 200th Career Win, Wildcats Breeze by Jackson State (12/13/25)
Saturday, December 13
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Saturday, December 06
Men's Basketball - 'Cats Fall in Big Ten Home Opener to Buckeyes (12/6/25)
Saturday, December 06
