Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, December 6
Evanston, Ill.
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
5-4,0-2Big Ten
82
vs
86
Ohio State
7-1,1-0Big Ten
1
2
F
Ohio St.
40
46
86
Northwestern
44
38
82
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Martinelli’s Career-High Not Enough, NU Falls 86-82 to Ohio State
12/6/2025 4:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern dropped an 86-82 decision in its Big Ten home opener against Ohio State on Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"I was really proud of our guys' fight," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "It's been a tough couple of days. We know exactly what we have to figure out. We're really struggling on the defensive end of the floor…we need to get a reset."
Senior forward Nick Martinelli equaled a career-high 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting and added eight rebounds and four assists.
But the Wildcats (5-4, 0-2 Big Ten) couldn't capitalize on their leading scorer's prolific performance against the Buckeyes (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten).
"As mad as we are right now, we need to step back and talk about how grateful we are for these moments," Martinelli said. "You don't get any glory from just constantly winning in life. You get glory from getting your face shoved in the mud and getting up and pushing. That's the message I need these guys to understand."
Sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino turned in 14 points on a 6-of-10 clip from the field and grabbed eight boards. Joining Martinelli and Ciaravino in double figures, junior forward Arrinten Page posted 13 points and nine rebounds.
NU commanded the rebounding battle for the second consecutive game to start conference play, tallying 34 rebounds to Ohio State's 29.
Northwestern closed the first half on a 12-2 run to carry a 44-40 lead into the break. The Wildcats forced three turnovers in the final 1:36 of the half.
Martinelli led all scorers with 18 points in the opening frame, canning 6-of-10 shots, grabbing six rebounds and notching a pair of steals.
NU knocked down five 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes of action, including two apiece from sophomore guard K.J. Windham and junior guard Jordan Clayton.
Although the Wildcats built a 57-48 advantage less than five minutes into the second half, the Buckeyes recaptured the lead midway through the period. Northwestern battled back to bring the score to 82-81 with 28 seconds remaining, but Ohio State ultimately closed out the result.
Gallery: (12-6-2025) Men's Basketball vs. Ohio State
"We're not going to splinter, we're not going to fragment," Collins said. "I'm not going to let that happen now. Whether we become a great team, I understand what we have to do. We have to reset this thing on the defensive end of the floor and figure things out, have a really week of practice."
"The only thing we can control is getting ourselves in a position to come back next weekend, play really well and get some momentum in a positive direction."
The Wildcats will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 13 in a non-conference tilt with Jackson State. Tip-off from Welsh-Ryan Arena is slated for 1 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.
"I was really proud of our guys' fight," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "It's been a tough couple of days. We know exactly what we have to figure out. We're really struggling on the defensive end of the floor…we need to get a reset."
Senior forward Nick Martinelli equaled a career-high 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting and added eight rebounds and four assists.
But the Wildcats (5-4, 0-2 Big Ten) couldn't capitalize on their leading scorer's prolific performance against the Buckeyes (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten).
"As mad as we are right now, we need to step back and talk about how grateful we are for these moments," Martinelli said. "You don't get any glory from just constantly winning in life. You get glory from getting your face shoved in the mud and getting up and pushing. That's the message I need these guys to understand."
Sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino turned in 14 points on a 6-of-10 clip from the field and grabbed eight boards. Joining Martinelli and Ciaravino in double figures, junior forward Arrinten Page posted 13 points and nine rebounds.
NU commanded the rebounding battle for the second consecutive game to start conference play, tallying 34 rebounds to Ohio State's 29.
Northwestern closed the first half on a 12-2 run to carry a 44-40 lead into the break. The Wildcats forced three turnovers in the final 1:36 of the half.
Martinelli led all scorers with 18 points in the opening frame, canning 6-of-10 shots, grabbing six rebounds and notching a pair of steals.
NU knocked down five 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes of action, including two apiece from sophomore guard K.J. Windham and junior guard Jordan Clayton.
Although the Wildcats built a 57-48 advantage less than five minutes into the second half, the Buckeyes recaptured the lead midway through the period. Northwestern battled back to bring the score to 82-81 with 28 seconds remaining, but Ohio State ultimately closed out the result.
"We're not going to splinter, we're not going to fragment," Collins said. "I'm not going to let that happen now. Whether we become a great team, I understand what we have to do. We have to reset this thing on the defensive end of the floor and figure things out, have a really week of practice."
"The only thing we can control is getting ourselves in a position to come back next weekend, play really well and get some momentum in a positive direction."
The Wildcats will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 13 in a non-conference tilt with Jackson State. Tip-off from Welsh-Ryan Arena is slated for 1 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.
Team Stats
OSU
NU
FG%
.574
.475
3FG%
.286
.333
FT%
.600
.889
RB
29
34
TO
11
14
STL
5
4
Game Leaders
Pts
32
FGM
10
3FGM
2
FTM
10
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
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