West and Ciaravino Shine in 86-60 Season-Opening Win over Binghamton

EVANSTON, Ill. — Behind a 20-point, 12-assist performance from sophomore guard Jake West, Northwestern opened its season with an 86-60 win over Binghamton at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Monday night.

West joined Bryant McIntosh as the only Wildcats (1-0) in the last 20 years to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in a game. 

Jake West had himself a NIGHT 😮‍💨 20 pts 12 asts 5 rebs 1 blk https://t.co/POI9lLsD8y

— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) November 3, 2026

West is Northwestern's first underclassman captain since Pat Baldwin in 1991-92.

Northwestern led wire to wire, scoring 51 first-half points while shooting 72.0% from the field. The Wildcats' field goal percentage was their highest in a half since shooting 78.9% in the second half against Penn State on Jan. 10, 2024.

In his Wildcat debut, graduate student forward Jack Karasinski scored 24 points and connected on a career-high seven 3-pointers. He recorded the most points by a Northwestern newcomer since at least 2004, while his seven triples marked the program's highest in a season-opener since John Shurna drained seven at Northern Illinois in 2010.

“Talking to his coaches at Bellarmine before he got here, they said that even though he'd been kind of a driver and a mid-range scorer, his 3-point shooting could be electric,” Collins said. “He proved that tonight in his first game.”

Graduate student guard LA Pratt notched 19 points in 32 minutes. After suffering a season-ending foot injury just three games into last season, the Northeastern transfer shot 60-percent (3-for-5) from behind the arc in his first game for the Wildcats.

Junior forward Angelo Ciaravino added 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, recording the first double-double of his career. He and West became the first pair of Northwestern teammates to record a double-double in the same game since Nick Martinelli and Matthew Nicholson on Feb. 18, 2024 against Indiana. 

The Wildcats held the Bearcats (0-1) to 40% shooting from the field and 28% from 3-point range. Northwestern also forced 12 turnovers and converted the Binghamton giveaways into 18 points. 

“One of the things I was most proud of was that we kind of got back to being who we are, with only eight turnovers,” Collins said. We had 20 turnovers in our Illinois State game and double-digit turnovers against Iowa State. To come back with 23 assists and eight turnovers, that's Northwestern basketball.”

The Wildcats have won 17 of their last 18 season openers, including seven straight under Collins.

Northwestern returns to action at home on Friday, Nov. 6 against Stony Brook. Tip-off from Welsh-Ryan Arena is slated for 7 p.m. CT on B1G+ and WGN 720.