Rapid Reaction: Northwestern controls the game from start to finish in 86-70 defeat of Valparaiso

Facing two games in four days, the Wildcats took care of business at home before another big test ahead on the road.

On Tuesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Northwestern (7-4, 0-2 B1G) beat Valparaiso (6-5, 0-0 MVC) 86-70, collecting two successive wins after a previous three-game skid. Despite encountering a series of rallies from the Beacons, the Wildcats avoided having their advantage fade, sealing a solid victory later in the second half.

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On the Northwestern side, Nick Martinelli led the night with 29 points with six boards. Arrinten Page exploded with 18 points, dominating the glass with seven rebounds. Jayden Reid (13) and Tre Singleton (10) also posted double digits, respectively.

On the Valparaiso side, JT Pettigrew led the team’s board with 13 points and six rebounds. Brody Whitaker and Justus McNair followed with 12 and 10 points.

After Northwestern won the tip, Jordan Clayton, who was starting his third consecutive game, scored the Wildcats’ first field goal at the top of the key. Page then linked up to Martinelli outside the perimeter with an arching feed, and the latter banked the ball in with ease. After forcing a Valparaiso clock violation, the ‘Cats set up a 7-0 run with three minutes gone by.

After Valparaiso broke the drought with Brody Whitaker’s jumper, Martinelli scored a second-chance basket to keep Northwestern’s advantage. Dease beat the clock for the visitors with a drive from the weakside. Justin Mullins and Jayden Reid weaved through the traffic, combining for four points in response. Reid kept playing the role of orchestrator, throwing two straight dimes that led to Martinelli’s floater and Mullins’ hammer in a fastbreak, forcing the Beacons to call a timeout at 17-5.

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Valparaiso then shortened the gap to nine points, which forced Northwestern to take a quick timeout with 12 minutes to the intermission. Justus McNair scored four straight points within a minute. Page rose for an alley-oop dunk to regain the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rapid-reaction-northwestern-controls-game-030705396.html

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Publish date : 2025-12-17 03:07:00

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