Northwestern Wildcats @ DePaul Blue Demons
Martinelli’s late free throws lift Northwestern past DePaul 81-79
CHICAGO -- — Nick Martinelli scored 24 points and extended his double-figures streak to 30 straight games and Northwestern edged DePaul 81-79 on Thursday night.
Martinelli went 8 of 11 from the field and added seven free throws, and Arrinten Page dominated inside with 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting for the Wildcats (4-0). Jayden Reid finished with 17 points and hit four free throws in the final 11 minutes as Northwestern rallied after trailing by six in the second half.
Down 57-56 with 11:55 left, Northwestern steadied behind its stars. Page tied the game with a layup, then added another bucket on the next trip. Tre Singleton buried a 3-pointer on the next attempt for a 68-64 lead; Northwestern’s largest of the night.
DePaul (2-2) kept answering, though, as Kruz McClure scored 11 of his 15 points after halftime, including a pair of free throws for a 74-73 edge with 5:02 left. Fabian Flores’ tip-in pushed the Blue Demons ahead 76-73 with 3:56 remaining.
Northwestern closed the game with Singleton scoring twice at the rim and Reid converting in traffic for a 79-76 lead with 1:36 to play. McClure tied it at 79, and Martinelli delivered the final blow. He grabbed Reid’s missed jumper with 3 seconds left, drew a foul and knocked down both free throws.
Layden Blocker’s contested 3 at the horn missed, sealing Northwestern’s road win.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- John Gaffney
- Paul Szelc
- Steve McJunkins
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 0-0 | - | 6-0 |
| Nebraska | 0-0 | - | 6-0 |
| Purdue | 0-0 | - | 6-0 |
| Indiana | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Iowa | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Michigan | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Ohio State | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| USC | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Illinois | 0-0 | - | 6-1 |
| Maryland | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| Northwestern | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| Penn State | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| UCLA | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| Oregon | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Washington | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Wisconsin | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Minnesota | 0-0 | - | 4-2 |
| Rutgers | 0-0 | - | 4-3 |
2025-26 Big East Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seton Hall | 0-0 | - | 6-0 |
| Georgetown | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Butler | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| UConn | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| Villanova | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| DePaul | 0-0 | - | 4-2 |
| Providence | 0-0 | - | 4-2 |
| Creighton | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| St. John's | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 0-0 | - | 4-3 |
| Xavier | 0-0 | - | 4-3 |

