EVANSTON, IL — Kevin Willard paced on the visitor sideline with less than a second left in overtime. Maryland had just gotten another clutch, game-tying layup from junior Ja’Kobi Gillespie. It now looked on as Northwestern inbounded under the Terps’ basket.
Northwestern graduate guard Jalen Leach clutched the basketball, his eyes widening while looking to avoid a five-second violation.
Leach found junior forward Nick Martinelli at the final moment. Martielli took two steps, fell towards the far baseline and extended his left shooting arm just long enough to get a quick attempt off in time.
“We knew we had to get something quick,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “We had three options… Nick was the one we wanted and we executed great.”
It swished through the net, proving fatal for Maryland in yet another disappointing road loss. Thursday night’s game-winning, overtime floater stunned the Terps, 76-74, sending Welsh-Ryan Arena into a frenzy.
“As soon as we drew it up, I had a feeling I was going to be open coming off that last screen,” Martinelli said.
The shot by Martinelli sank Maryland (13-5) to 0-4 in road games this season — with consistent struggles extended against Quad 1 opponents.
Northwestern (11-6) fought in overtime for an important conference win following three straight losses.
The Wildcats seemingly won the game 16 seconds before Martinelli’s shot — senior guard Brooks Barnhizer (20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) gave Northwestern a 74-72 lead two possessions earlier by converting an easy layup from the right block.
But Gillespie utilized his speed for a momentous layup and his final of 14 points, making way for Martinelli’s eventual heroics.
Martinelli paced Northwestern with 22 points on an efficient 9-for-14 shooting clip, getting the last laugh in a frontcourt battle against Julian Reese. The Maryland senior finished with a game-high 23 points on just five made shots, shooting 13-for-14 from the free throw line in the process.
Reese and freshman center Derik Queen (9 points, 14 rebounds) frequently got double-teamed near the paint by Northwestern.
It led to an especially slow night for Queen.
“When you come off and you have 27 points [against Minnesota], Chris Collins isn’t gonna let him get 27 points the next night,” Willard said. “… [Derek’s] got to realize how teams are playing him. Sometimes you gotta be a passer, sometimes you gotta be a finisher.”
Gillespie scored the final points for Maryland both in overtime and to end regulation. With Gillespie’s 12th point and a defensive stop at the buzzer, Maryland finished the final two minutes prior to overtime on an 11-2 run, tying the score for the first time in fourteen minutes.
At the under 12-minute mark, Barnhizer led the Wildcats to its first multi-score lead. In one sequence, Barnhizer flew in to intercept a pass intended for Maryland’s Deshawn Harris-Smith before dunking home his 1,000th career point. Soon after, a second-chance triple by Barnhizer gave Northwestern a double-digit lead.
Despite the Northwestern run, Maryland fell back into its zone defense — making the final six minutes competitive by forcing difficult shots. Maryland sparked a 10-2 run, bringing the deficit down to two points as Northwestern missed seven of its next eight shots.
The first half saw 11 lead changes and 9 ties. A 6-0 Maryland run nine minutes in put the Terps up 16-10 early, a six point advantage that ended up being the largest lead for either team before halftime. But Reese had just one rebound in the opening 20 minutes while he and Queen each picked up two quick fouls down low.
As Maryland’s bigs got into foul trouble, the Wildcats ended the half by taking advantage of a starting lineup change made by head coach Chris Collins — choosing to give freshman guard Angelo Ciaravino his first career start Thursday and have guard Ty Berry come off the bench.
Ciaravino became the first Northwestern freshman to start a Big Ten game since March 2022. The move paid off late in the first half when Berry netted a team-high 10 points in the first half.
Northwestern and Maryland traded buckets with four lead changes and four ties by the first half’s under eight minute timeout. Martinelli, who made his first three field goals, forced two of Maryland’s nine first-half turnovers. He stuttered Maryland’s offense by taking a charge from Queen just moments after he forced junior guard Rodney Rice to travel.
“You have to play a really complete game on the road to win in Big Ten play,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said. “… Unfortunately, we’re doing something differently every game.”
Maryland will be back in College Park to host Nebraska (12-5) on Sunday at Noon. Jack Susanin and Nathan Schwartz will have the call for WMUC Sports.
