Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, December 20
Indianapolis, Ind.
3 p.m. CT
Northwestern
7-5,0-2Big Ten
58
vs
61
Butler
9-3,1-1Big East
1
2
F
Northwestern
23
35
58
Butler
29
32
61
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern Falls to Butler in Indy Classic, 61-58
12/20/2025 6:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
INDIANAPOLIS — Northwestern fell 61-58 to Butler in a defensive battle on Saturday afternoon in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Despite missing leading scorer Nick Martinelli with injury, the Wildcats (7-5, 0-2 Big Ten) scrapped back from an 11-point second-half deficit and had a shot to tie on the final possession, but the Bulldogs (9-3, 1-1 Big East) were able to hold on.
"Our guys fought, but regardless of who's on the floor, we're not here for moral victories," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "We fought hard and played well, we came to win and we came up a little bit short."
Junior guard Jayden Reid scored a team-high 14 points and dished out five assists in the contest. In his return to the starting lineup, first-year forward Tre Singleton tallied eight points, five rebounds, three assists and a block.
NU is one of just two teams to have limited Butler to 61 or fewer points this season, joining No. 5 UConn, which defeated the Bulldogs 79-60 on Dec. 16. The 'Cats forced 14 turnovers and limited the Bulldogs to just a 23.3% three-point percentage.
"We defended really well all day long," Collins said. "This team, a week ago today, put up 115 [points] on Providence. It's a really explosive team with a lot of good shooters. Overall, the percentages were good."
Northwestern held Butler scoreless for the game's first 3:57, and the two teams combined for just 23 points through the opening 10 minutes of a defensive battle.
The Bulldogs led 29-23 at halftime, but the 'Cats forced Butler into eight first-half turnovers with stifling pressure.
Reid paced the Wildcat offense in the first half, scoring six points in the frame. Sophomore guards K.J. Windham and Max Green chipped in five points apiece off the bench, with both players canning triples.
On the defensive end of the floor, Northwestern held Bulldog leading scorer Finley Bizjack to zero first-half points on 0-of-5 shooting.
After the break, Butler pushed its advantage into double digits, but the Wildcat defensive effort elevated once again.
The Bulldogs managed just one field goal from the floor in the final six minutes as Northwestern cut the deficit to 59-58 with 31 seconds remaining on a Singleton jumper.
Despite three Butler trips to the charity stripe, the Wildcats still possessed a chance to send the game to overtime in the final seconds but couldn't convert a last-second heave.
"You have to have a fighting, gritty spirit when you play these good teams," Collins said. "We'll have a little break now for the holidays, come back and we have 20 more games to see what we want to do with the rest of the season."
Northwestern will play its final non-conference game on Tuesday, Dec. 30 against Howard. Tip-off from Welsh-Ryan Arena is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.
Despite missing leading scorer Nick Martinelli with injury, the Wildcats (7-5, 0-2 Big Ten) scrapped back from an 11-point second-half deficit and had a shot to tie on the final possession, but the Bulldogs (9-3, 1-1 Big East) were able to hold on.
"Our guys fought, but regardless of who's on the floor, we're not here for moral victories," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "We fought hard and played well, we came to win and we came up a little bit short."
Junior guard Jayden Reid scored a team-high 14 points and dished out five assists in the contest. In his return to the starting lineup, first-year forward Tre Singleton tallied eight points, five rebounds, three assists and a block.
NU is one of just two teams to have limited Butler to 61 or fewer points this season, joining No. 5 UConn, which defeated the Bulldogs 79-60 on Dec. 16. The 'Cats forced 14 turnovers and limited the Bulldogs to just a 23.3% three-point percentage.
"We defended really well all day long," Collins said. "This team, a week ago today, put up 115 [points] on Providence. It's a really explosive team with a lot of good shooters. Overall, the percentages were good."
Northwestern held Butler scoreless for the game's first 3:57, and the two teams combined for just 23 points through the opening 10 minutes of a defensive battle.
The Bulldogs led 29-23 at halftime, but the 'Cats forced Butler into eight first-half turnovers with stifling pressure.
Reid paced the Wildcat offense in the first half, scoring six points in the frame. Sophomore guards K.J. Windham and Max Green chipped in five points apiece off the bench, with both players canning triples.
On the defensive end of the floor, Northwestern held Bulldog leading scorer Finley Bizjack to zero first-half points on 0-of-5 shooting.
After the break, Butler pushed its advantage into double digits, but the Wildcat defensive effort elevated once again.
The Bulldogs managed just one field goal from the floor in the final six minutes as Northwestern cut the deficit to 59-58 with 31 seconds remaining on a Singleton jumper.
Despite three Butler trips to the charity stripe, the Wildcats still possessed a chance to send the game to overtime in the final seconds but couldn't convert a last-second heave.
"You have to have a fighting, gritty spirit when you play these good teams," Collins said. "We'll have a little break now for the holidays, come back and we have 20 more games to see what we want to do with the rest of the season."
Northwestern will play its final non-conference game on Tuesday, Dec. 30 against Howard. Tip-off from Welsh-Ryan Arena is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.
Team Stats
NU
Butler
FG%
.359
.379
3FG%
.174
.233
FT%
.889
.714
RB
35
41
TO
9
14
STL
3
7
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
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