Nick Martinelli’s 22-point masterpiece and a buzzer-beating dagger from three-quarters court flipped the script for Northwestern, ending a nine-game Big Ten nightmare and exposing USC’s shaky late-game DNA.
The streak is dead: how one possession flipped a season
With 2.4 seconds on the shot clock and Northwestern clinging to a one-possession lead, Max Green launched an in-bounds pass from inside his own foul line. Nick Martinelli caught, turned and buried a baseline jumper before the horn. The 67-63 dagger with 2:14 left didn’t just ice a 74-68 win at Galen Center; it buried a nine-game Big Ten losing streak that dated back to last February and had become the albatross around first-year coach Chris Collins‘ neck.
Martinelli’s 22 points—17 after halftime—pushed his national-best 20-point streak to 10 straight games, the longest current run in Division I. More importantly, it gave the Wildcats their first conference victory since March 9, 2024, and lifted them to 9-10 overall, 1-7 in the Big Ten.
Freshmen step up when stars sit
While Martinelli drew the spotlight, the margin was built by two rookies. Tyler Kropp, inserted into his first career start, punished USC’s switching defense for 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and nine boards. His trailing dunk off Martinelli’s steal with 1:48 left stretched the lead to six and forced Eric Musselman to burn his final timeout.
USC’s own heralded frosh, Alijah Arenas, had a rougher welcome. The 6-6 McDonald’s All-American and son of three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas debuted to a sold-out student section but shot 3-of-15 overall and 0-of-6 from three, finishing with eight points and four turnovers. His 360-degree layup midway through the first half ignited the crowd, yet the Trojans never found a rhythm when Chad Baker-Mazara—their 18.9 ppg leading scorer—sat the final 14 minutes with four fouls.
Collins’ halftime adjustment: unleash the mismatch
Trailing 34-31 at the break, Collins junked his usual 1-3-1 zone and told Martinelli to hunt switches against USC’s smaller guards. The result: 17 second-half points on 7-of-9 shooting, including the game’s signature shot.
USC countered with a 14-2 burst early in the half, but every time the Galen Center roared, Northwestern answered. Jordan Marsh scored all 19 of his points after halftime and Ezra Ausar added 13 of his 17, yet the Trojans shot 38 percent overall and missed 11 of their final 13 threes.
What the win means for both locker rooms
- Northwestern escapes the Big Ten cellar and avoids matching the 2007-08 squad’s 0-14 start; confidence surges ahead of Saturday’s crosstown trip to UCLA.
- USC drops to 3-5 in conference play, its worst league start since 2021-22, and surrenders a critical resume game with Wisconsin and Purdue looming.
- Martinelli’s 20-point streak now faces the nation’s No. 1 defense at UCLA; a repeat performance would put him in rare air alongside Glenn Robinson III and Carsen Edwards for consecutive 20-plus Big Ten games.
- Arenas’ rough debut underscores the learning curve for five-star teens; Musselman must balance development with an NCAA Tournament berth that once looked automatic.
The numbers that matter
Northwestern won despite 15 turnovers because it out-shot USC 47 % to 38 % and dominated the glass 40-32. The Wildcats also held the Trojans to 4-of-19 from deep in the second half, a dramatic flip after USC hit 6-of-13 before the break.
Looking ahead
Northwestern buses across town to face Mick Cronin’s bruising UCLA defense on Saturday, a chance to turn one breakthrough into a bona-fide winning streak. USC, meanwhile, heads to Madison on Sunday to face a Wisconsin team that just dismantled Michigan State. The Trojans are now 1-4 in Quadrant 1 games; another slip could shove them onto the tournament bubble before February arrives.
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