Chicago, IL — Northwestern delivered a strong second-half performance to defeat Indiana 74–61 on Wednesday during the second day of the Big Ten Tournament.
Nick Martinelli led the Wildcats with 28 points, while Jake West contributed 18 as the 15th-seeded team rallied after trailing at halftime. Northwestern entered the break down 37–36 but clamped down defensively after intermission, limiting Indiana to just 24 second-half points. The victory also marked Northwestern’s seventh straight win over the Hoosiers.
Early in the second half, Martinelli helped swing momentum. He connected on five of his first seven shots while Indiana struggled badly from the floor, hitting only two of its first 11 attempts during that stretch. The surge allowed Northwestern to open a 57–47 advantage with about 10 minutes left in the game.
Later, Jordan Clayton knocked down a free throw that pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 70–52 with roughly 5½ minutes remaining. From there, both offenses cooled. Northwestern missed its final seven shots, while Indiana managed just one basket in four tries during the closing moments.
Indiana endured a lengthy scoring drought in the second half, going six minutes without a field goal. Over the final 14-plus minutes, the Hoosiers shot only 3-for-15.
Lamar Wilkerson paced Indiana with 17 points, and Tayton Conerway added 14. Tucker DeVries contributed eight rebounds and six assists but struggled to score, finishing with six points on 2-of-9 shooting.
The first half was tightly contested. Northwestern held the lead only once, when Tyler Kropp drilled a three-pointer to put the Wildcats ahead 33–32 with 2:49 remaining before halftime. Indiana quickly answered with a three from Nick Dorn and carried a narrow 37–36 edge into the locker room.
The loss continues a difficult stretch for Indiana, which has now dropped six of its last seven games.
Looking ahead, Northwestern will face seventh-seeded Purdue on Thursday, with second-seeded Nebraska waiting in the quarterfinal round.
