Three takeaways from Northwestern’s 94-73 win over Penn State

The Wildcats pulled away from the Nittany Lions via a strong second half to get their second Big Ten win of the year.

Head coach Chris Collins’ lineup adjustments continue to pay off for Northwestern, as it has now won two of its past three games and looks to gain momentum heading into the second half of conference play. Against Penn State, it was Nick Martinelli, Tre Singleton, Jake West and Angelo Ciaravino who carried the load and contributed to NU’s best Big Ten offensive performance.

Here are three takeaways from Northwestern’s 94-73 win over Penn State at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday night.

The offense wakes up in dominant fashion

The Wildcat offense was clicking in every way against the Nittany Lions, spurred on early by hot shooting beyond the arc and later by fast-paced transition play.

Northwestern made a season-high 12 threes on the night, including seven in the first half, and shot 55% from deep. Martinelli had four three-pointers, part of his career-high-tying 34-point night, and six other Wildcats knocked down threes of their own. Martinelli’s presence in the paint and ability to find shooters provided countless open looks from deep, and unlike in other games this season, the ‘Cats were consistently knocking down shots.

In the second half, where Northwestern scored 49 points — its most in a Big Ten half this season — the ‘Cats’ transition game wore down the Nittany Lions. West ran the show with extreme poise, tallying 13 assists, and he often found Ciaravino, who had 20 points, or Singleton, who had 17, for open layups on the break. NU also showed extreme efficiency on its out-of-bounds plays from under the basket, as it got a handful of open layups off its well-executed designs.

Overall, the offense took a huge step forward, supported by both the stats and the eye test. The ‘Cats shot 60.3% from the field and scored 94 points despite only making six free throws. They had 19 points off turnovers, only committed nine themselves, and had 30 assists on 38 made field goals. And one could clearly tell the difference when watching. The offense never stalled, and the ball movement kept PSU’s defense on its toes. It’s also helpful to have Martinelli, whose 34 points bring his season average to a nation-leading 24 per game.

Tre Singleton leads a determined rebounding effort

Singleton and Northwestern as a whole looked like a much bigger team than Penn State. The ‘Cats outhustled the Nittany Lions on seemingly every play and gang-rebounded to tremendous success.

Singleton was by far the most physical guy on the court whenever he was out there, grabbing 18 rebounds, three of them offensive. His tenacity to pursue the ball whenever a shot went up quickly spread to the rest of the team, resulting in NU winning the rebounding battle 34-21. The ‘Cats came into the game ranked 246th in rebounding rate across college basketball, grabbing just 48.5% of rebounds, yet they still dominated their opponents in this area. While Penn State almost never had more than one shot per possession, NU had nine offensive rebounds, scoring 14 points on the offensive glass.

Four of the five starters in the Wildcats’ starting five are above 6-foot-5. Thus, rebounding should be an advantage for this team, so it’s nice to see improvement on the glass. Singleton, the 6-foot-8 freshman, took it upon himself to aggressively chase every loose ball, and he and the rest of his team will have to maintain that mindset if they want to see sustained success.

Defensive lapses continue to plague the ‘Cats

On a less positive note, the Wildcat defense was incredibly inconsistent against the Nittany Lions. It allowed 40 first-half points and saw Penn State shoot 49% from the field on the game.

Mental lapses on the defensive end for Northwestern were frequent, especially in the first half. In the opening ten minutes of the game, Penn State had an open shooter or back-door cutter on what felt like every possession. Eli Rice, a Nittany Lion shooting 46% from three on the year, had numerous open looks from deep early on, making three of them. There were several half-hearted close-outs and a plethora of blown assignments where Wildcat defenders were caught ball-watching. This lackluster defense and the resulting fouls led to constant trips to the line for Penn State, which shot 20 free throws in the game compared to NU’s nine.

The defensive intensity ticked up a notch in the second half, allowing Northwestern to widen its lead. The communication improved, and the ‘Cats started forcing turnovers, evidence being that Penn State only scored four points in the opening five minutes of the half. Northwestern had five steals and three blocks in the game, providing opportunities for its transition offense.

However, the missed assignments and open looks given to Penn State reflect a broader trend for Northwestern, which continues to have a middling defense in the Big Ten rankings. Defense should be a strength for an athletic Wildcat team, and the ‘Cats must shore up some areas if they want to continue seeing success.​