Rapid Reaction: Northwestern beats Iowa in a defensive struggle, 68-57

Another win……

With exceptional offense from K.J. Windham and staunch defense from the ‘Cats, NU won a monumental game for its Big Ten Tournament hopes.

Northwestern (16-13, 7-11 B1G) defeated Iowa (15-14, 6-12 B1G) in, surprisingly, a low-scoring battle on a windy night in Evanston.

For NU, K.J. Windham led the way with 20 points on four threes. Nick Martinelli also contributed 16 points and nine rebounds. The ‘Cats shot 42.3% from the field and 39.1% from three.

Iowa was led by Drew Thelwell who had 14 points and three assists. Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort also had 10 and nine respectively. Iowa struggled offensively, shooting 36.2% and 32% from beyond the arc.

After Seydou Traore won the jump, Nick Martinelli started off the scoring with a right-handed lay-in. For the next few minutes, the teams struggled offensively, trading scoreless possessions until Drew Thelwell drove in for a floater, and Justin Mullins made a layup. Following a Jordan Clayton foul, K.J. Windham entered the game and immediately made his impact felt with a put-back. Both teams were having a hard time generating offense though, and the ‘Cats held a two point after the opening five minutes.

Out of the under-16, Nicholson drained two free throws. After six straight misses combined, Luke Hunger got fouled but missed both of his free throws. Windham finally ended the scoring drought with a pull-up three-pointer to give the ‘Cats a seven point lead. Ty Berry connected on a three, but Thelwell responded with two triples, cutting into the lead. After a few possessions, Windham drilled his second trey of the contest, and both teams were settling in.

Following a timeout, Northwestern forced a shot clock violation, and Mullins knocked down a triple. Then, Pryce Sandfort drained a triple on the other end before Jordan Clayton stepped into a three of his own. After a few scoreless possessions, Windham made a tough floater to get into double figures. Martinelli only had two points, but the ‘Cats had a six point lead after 16 minutes.

Windham knocked down two free throws out of the timeout, but Pryce Sandfort made a three on the other end. After Nicholson converted 1-of-2 free throws, Josh Dix soared in for a layup, and Ladji Dembele put in two. The ‘Cats were up 28-26, and Chris Collins promptly called a timeout.

Martinelli drained two free throws, and both teams traded scoreless possessions to bring the game to halftime. The ‘Cats were up 30-26 in an unexpected low-scoring contest.

NU shot 9-for-28 from the field and 5-for-13 from three in the opening half. K.J. Windham led the way with 12 points and two threes. Notably, Martinelli only had four points on 1-for-8 shooting. He missed at least three shots that he normally makes, and it was a promising sign that the team was leading without his normal offense.

Drew Thelwell and Pryce Sandfort paced Iowa with eight points each. The team shot 34.5% from the field and 36.4% from downtown. Payton Sandfort and Josh Dix with both cold for Iowa with four and two points respectively. The ‘Cats had a four point lead and a chance to extend it with better play from Martinelli.

Following the intermission, Payton Sandfort airballed a three, and Martinelli floated in a bucket. Dix came right back on the other end with a triple, and Martinelli made a layup. The teams were going back-and-forth, and Sandfort made a floater of his own. Nicholson was hit in the face and went back to the locker room, so Iowa chose Mullins to go to the stripe, where the junior made one-of-two. Keenan Fitzmorris came into game and made his presence felt with a huge dunk. Thelwell then drained a triple for the Hawkeyes, and the lead was only one.

After the stoppage, Berry drilled a deep triple, and Windham made a trey of his own. Nicholson was still in the locker room, but the ‘Cats were able to build a seven point advantage. Harding scooped in a layup, but Windham drained another three, bringing his point total up to 18.

Out of the under-12, Even Brauns had a thunderous dunk, and Carter Kingsbury made a free throw. After Northwestern grabbed three offensive rebounds, Angelo Ciaravino put home a layup, but Brauns then converted a three-point play. Luke Hunger came back with a lay-in, and both teams were finding their groove. Windham, after driving in, was fouled and made one-of-two attempts.

With under eight minutes remaining, Hunger slammed in two, and Payton Sandfort knocked in one free throw on the other end. Following a few scoreless possessions, Martinelli drained two free throws. Dix canned a triple, and the ‘Cats lead was at seven.

Martinelli dropped in back-to-back floaters out of a Northwestern timeout. Thelwell responded with a corner triple, and NU was up 59-51. Mullins hit a huge three, his second of the night, bringing the lead back to 11.

With two minutes remaining, Dix made two free throws, but Berry came back with a huge floater. After a questionable foul on Martinelli, Brock Harding missed the front end of the one-and-one. The Hawkeyes began fouling to extend the game, and Windham made 1-of-2 attempts. From there, the ‘Cats sealed the game at the free throw line.

The ‘Cats will be back in action for their final home game of the season at 8 p.m. CST on Monday against UCLA.