The ‘Cats couldn’t get the last laugh in overtime this time around.
Three days ago, Northwestern won a miraculous 76-74 victory against Maryland on a Nick Martinelli game-winner in overtime. While NU (11-7, 2-5 B1G) fought its way to the extra period against No. 20 Michigan (14-4, 6-1 B1G), the ‘Cats weren’t able to keep the magic going, ultimately falling short 80-76 in a back and forth game that saw its fair share of controversy throughout.
For Northwestern, Brooks Barnhizer led the way with 21 points. Nick Martinelli had 20 and Jalen Leach had 19 before he was controversially ejected after a flagrant 2 call against him in the second half. Matt Nicholson added 16 rebounds, proving crucial on the defensive end for the ‘Cats.
Vlad Goldin led all scorers with 31 for the Wolverines, shooting nine of 16 from the field and grabbing eight rebounds. Nimari Burnett added 13 and both Roddy Gayle Jr. and Tre Donaldson scored 10, with Danny Wolf notching 13 rebounds for the Wolverines.
Northwestern did not make a single field goal in the extra period, going 0-for-5. All of NU’s points came from the charity stripe, but crucial misses from the line by Brooks Barnhizer certainly played a part in Northwestern falling short in a game it certainly had many opportunities to win.
Northwestern opened the game strong on both sides of the ball, scoring seven unanswered points courtesy of Nick Martinelli and Jalen Leach. Michigan struggled from the jump, missing its first five shots, but Roddy Gayle Jr. finally put the Wolverines on the board with a layup after a defensive breakdown. The ‘Cats led 7-2 at the first TV timeout.
Both teams came out of the break slow, with Michigan continuing its poor start from the field with a couple of misses from beyond the arc. Martinelli snapped a 5-0 Michigan run with his signature floater, but Rubin Jones responded with a trey for the Wolverines.
It was a lethargic offensive start for both teams, with the teams shooting a combined 1-15 from three and only notching 17 points in the first eight minutes.
Sam Walters hit two free throws to give Michigan its first lead of the game as Ty Berry and Vlad Goldin traded threes to give Michigan a 13-12 advantage. Northwestern went on a short 5-0 run to regain the lead, but it didn’t last long. Goldin nailed two more from downtown to put the Wolverines in front once more at the under-8 timeout.
Goldin hit double figures on a contested layup as Brooks Barnhizer responded with a similar make on the other end. A Martinelli floater and Leach jumper finally slowed a 12-2 Michigan run, putting the ‘Cats back within one. Berry drained a corner three to cap off a 7-0 Northwestern run as it entered the final media timeout of the half ahead 27-25.
An and-one from Nimari Burnett and bucket from Barnhizer on the other end led to two more lead changes, with Northwestern solidifying its edge after scoring off a Will Tschetter turnover. A 6-0 NU run was broken by an uncontested Tre Donaldson layup, as Blake Barkley entered the game for the first time and quickly committed a foul. Martinelli hit a pair from the charity stripe as Michigan held for the final shot of the half. An inadvertant Keenan Fitzmorris foul — his third of the game — led to a missed Goldin free throw on the one-and-one, giving Northwestern a 35-30 lead heading into the break.
At the break, Nick Martinelli led the way for Northwestern with 14 points, along with notching a team high four rebounds. The ‘Cats leaned on their defensive to build a first half lead, restricting Michigan to only eight points in the paint. The Wolverines did also struggle mightily from the field, shooting only 29% and making a mere nine shots on 31 attempts. Vlad Goldin topped the scoring for UM, scoring 11 and draining three from beyond the arc.
Goldin opened the half with a slam for Michigan as both teams traded buckets early on. Danny Wolf missed a wide open dunk for the Wolverines, but a Matthew Nicholson foul on the rebound leading to two more for Goldin at the line. Scores from Donaldson and Martinelli prompted more lead changes, as Goldin’s dominance continued on a score off a no-look pass to give Michigan a 42-40 lead as Chris Collins called timeout. Leach subsequently drained a three to reverse the lead yet again as the teams reached the first TV timeout of the half.
A white-hot Leach hit another from downtown to give the ‘Cats a two-possession lead as Burnett hit back with corner trey of his own. Leach attacked the rim to hit another layup, accounting for eight consecutive NU points. A string of missed layups by Barnhizer and Donaldson kept Northwestern up by a hare’s breath at the under-12 timeout, holding on to a narrow 48-47 advantage.
Fitzmorris recorded an impressive block on Wolf to maintain NU’s lead as a Martinelli free throw snapped a two and a half minute scoring drought for the ‘Cats. The two teams traded leads yet again off threes from Jones and Barnhizer.
After what was considered excessive contact against Goldin, Jalen Leach was given a controversial flagrant 2 foul and was ejected for the remainder of the game. Leach left the game with a team-high 19 points, leaving the ‘Cats without one of their best scorers for the final ten minutes of the game.
Following the ejection, Michigan retook the lead but Berry clawed back the edge for Northwestern in the 16th lead change of the game. A pair of turnovers led to a Gayle and-one as the Wolverines held the momentum up 57-56. Northwestern’s defense continued to press and hold down Michigan’s offense, but the ‘Cats struggled to record a bucket of their own without Leach on the floor.
Nicholson split a pair from the line to tie the game at 57 apiece as the back and forth lead changes continued. Consecutive scores from Barnhizer put Northwestern up three, but Goldin notched an and-one to even the score again. The score remained knotted at 61 at the final media timeout of regulation.
A Goldin tip-in and Berry jumper evened the score at 63, as a tie-up in possession gave Northwestern possession with two minutes remaining. Berry had a wide open opportunity from beyond the arc after a ridiculous pass but couldn’t capitalize as Dusty May called timeout to talk things over.
Northwestern’s defense got a crucial turnover but Barnhizer couldn’t find the rim as the ‘Cats remained cold on the offensive end. A layup from Gayle gave Michigan a 65-63 lead with 35 seconds remaining as Nicholson was fouled on the other end. The Michigan native overcame his struggles at the line to hit both attempts, tying the game at 65. With UM holding the opportunity to win the game on the final possession, the Wolverines couldn’t execute, sending both teams to their second consecutive overtime game.
Gayle opened the scoring in overtime as Northwestern couldn’t find the rim. Burnett found an opening on a dunk to extend Michigan’s lead to four as Barnhizer nailed two from the charity stripe to halve the lead. A Goldin hook shot restored Michigan’s four point lead, bringing him to 30 points on the game. Nicholson split a pair at the line to keep the game within one possession as a Goldin turnover gave the ‘Cats possession with two minutes remaining.
Barnhizer drew a foul on a shot beyond the arc, as the refs checked to see whether his toe touched the line to determine if he’d get two or three shots. Barnhizer got three shots, hitting all of them to tie the game at 71. Gayle notched two from the line to put Michigan in front as Barnhizer conceded a brutal turnover, but caught a break after a Goldin miss from downtown. Collins called timeout with 39 seconds left to talk things over as the ‘Cats needed a score to even the score once more.
Martinelli’s floater missed, after which he fouled Donaldson and sent the guard to the line. Donaldson hit both shots as Michigan led 75-71. The ‘Cats couldn’t buy a bucket in the extra period, even though Barnhizer was fouled and sent to the line. Brooks hit the first but couldn’t make the second, with Goldin grabbing the rebound off the miss. The refs reviewed contact made by Goldin on Blake Smith for a flagrant foul, ultimately calling a common foul on Smith and a deadball technical on Goldin. Goldin and Barnhizer both split a pair, leaving Northwestern down three with possession off the technical.
Barnhizer was fouled by Gayle, but he once again couldn’t nail both free throws. Jones hit two free throws for Michigan on the other end to make it a two possession lead, as Northwestern’s hopes of pulling out the victory continued to fade. Martinelli hit a pair for his first points since the midpoint of the second half, narrowing the lead to two.
The foul game continued as Donaldson nailed both from the charity stripe. Barnhizer’s long pass to Berry with five seconds left was knocked away and taken by the Wolverines, as Northwestern fell 80-76 in a tough overtime defeat.
Northwestern will look to rebound from the loss as it returns home to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday against Indiana. The game will tip off at 6 PM C.T., and the action will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.