Martinelli, Page Energy NU to Gutsy Street Win at DePaul, 81-79

CHICAGO — Senior ahead Nick Martinelli sank two clutch free throws within the remaining three seconds to propel Northwestern to an 81-79 victory at DePaul on Friday night time in Wintrust Arena.
 
“We had a lot of game pressure tonight,” Sullivan-Ubben Head Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Collins stated. “DePaul brought the fight to us. We were down, there were a lot of lead changes and it went back and forth the last 10 minutes. We needed that because we’re going to be in a lot of close games this year. You need to find ways to get stops when the game’s on the line.”
 
The Wildcats (4-0) battled again from their first halftime deficit of the season to safe the win in a back-and-forth battle between the crosstown rivals. Martinelli led all scorers with 24 factors on 8-of-11 taking pictures and was named the Fisher-McGrath recreation MVP.

 

Got it carried out ?? pic.twitter.com/uxFYsUrUtt

— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) November 15, 2025

Collins stated he knew the Blue Demons (2-2) would pose a major problem for all 40 minutes.
 
“It’s exactly what I thought this game was going to be,” Collins stated. “I tried to urge our guys to be ready for that physical fight that they brought to us. But it was a heck of a fight. Our guys fought, DePaul fought.”
 
Junior ahead Arrinten Page poured in  a career-high 22 factors on 10-of-11 taking pictures from the sector and tallied 5 rebounds, a block and a steal.
 
For Collins, Page’s offensive skillset within the submit was on full-display Friday night time.
 

Gallery: (11-14-2025) Men’s Basketball vs. DePaul

 
“I’m just really proud of [Page],” Collins stated. “We did a deep dive on him. He’s got a good spirit and heart. He wants to be about the right things. Our situation provided him with what he needed… He’s a really talented player and he knows that we need him.”
 
Joining Page and Martinelli in double figures, junior guard Jayden Reid scored 17 factors and dished out 4 assists.

“It really just tested us as a team and as a unit,” Page stated of the matchup. “It was a good result. We stayed together and overcame adversity as a team.”

 

Northwestern started the sport on a tear from the sector, taking pictures a scorching 66.7% area objective proportion within the first half. The ‘Cats transformed 4-of-8 first-half 3-pointers.

 

Page led all first-half scorers with 13 factors on an ideal 6-of-6 clip. Martinelli chipped in 12 factors, pulling down 4 of his 5 makes an attempt. Still, DePaul clung to a 44-42 halftime lead.

 

An early 9-0 run helped Northwestern construct a 53-48 lead with 16:55 remaining within the recreation. But for every visiting punch, the hosts appeared to offer a counterpunch in a contest with 14 ties and 17 lead modifications.

 

The Blue Demons tied the sport at 79-79 with 1:16 remaining earlier than each groups traded stops. A frenzy on NU’s remaining possession despatched Martinelli to the road, the place the senior made no mistake on each makes an attempt.

 

Battening down the hatches on the ultimate possession, the Wildcats picked up an important defensive cease, forcing a misfire on DePaul’s last-second heave and securing their first street win of the 2025-26 marketing campaign.

 

“We have to help build each other up and build camaraderie,” Martinelli stated. “Getting this win meant a lot. It’s super hard to win. It’s tiring. You have to battle.”

 

Northwestern will return to motion in opposition to Virginia on Friday, Nov. 21 on the Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.