February 28, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Angelo Ciaravino (44) blocks a shot by Oregon Ducks forward Kwame Evans Jr. (10) in the first half at Wales-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Image Nick Martinelli hit the game-winning runner with one second left as part of a game-high 22 points to lift Northwestern to a 63-62 Big Ten victory over Oregon on Saturday afternoon in Evanston, Illinois.
On a day when Northwestern handed out bobbleheads featuring his likeness, Martinelli added 11 rebounds, a career-high seven assists and a career-high-tying three steals to lead the Wildcats (13-16, 5-13) to their third straight victory. Jayden Reid added 11 points.
Nate Bittle paced Oregon (11-18, 4-14) with 19 points and nine rebounds. Kwame Evans Jr. had 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Takai Simpkins had 11 points.
The Ducks led 36-29 at halftime and built a 12-point lead two minutes into the second half before Northwestern scored 17 of its 19 points to take a 48-45 lead with 12 minutes left.
Over the final seven minutes, the teams traded the lead six times in a battle that left them 14th in the Big Ten.
Oregon regained the lead on Bittle’s 3-point play with 4:37 to play, but the Wildcats tied the game on Martinelli’s second layup with 4:10 to play.
After two empty possessions, Northwestern responded with a turnaround jumper from Jayden Reid with 2:24 remaining. The Ducks regained the lead when Wei Lin hit a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left in the game.
Martinelli missed an early jumper with 18 seconds left, but Northwestern’s Tre Singleton grabbed the rebound and the Wildcats called a timeout to set up the play. Martinelli was wound up 12 feet from the hoop, but spun free for a left-handed runner who hung behind the rim for a few beats before falling.
Oregon fired 40 feet at the buzzer that didn’t fall.
Neither team was able to create separation early on. Northwestern took a 24-18 lead on two Martinelli free throws with 8:04 left in the first half, but the Ducks owned it the rest of the half. They used a 10-2 run capped by a 3-point play by Bittle to take a 28-26 advantage.
Bittle’s 12 points led all scorers through halftime, while Martinelli paced the Wildcats with eight points.
–Field level media
