Northwestern Tops Minnesota 75-63, Boosting Big Ten Tournament Hopes

Nick Martinelli's 29-point performance leads Wildcats to a pivotal road victory, flipping the standings for tournament qualification.

Northwestern secured a 75-63 victory over Minnesota, improving to 15-13 overall and 6-11 in the Big Ten, while Minnesota dropped to 14-14 and 6-11 in conference play.
Nick Martinelli scored 29 points, with 19 coming in the second half, and was the only Northwestern player to reach double figures in scoring.
The Wildcats started strong with a 10-0 run and maintained control with efficient shooting, including 49.1% from the field and 47.4% from three-point range.
Minnesota's Dawson Garcia led his team with 26 points and nine rebounds, but the Golden Gophers struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 26.3%.
The win marked Northwestern's second consecutive double-digit victory and moved them ahead of Minnesota in the race for a Big Ten Tournament berth.