EVANSTON, Ill. — In a closely contested matchup, Northwestern triumphed over Montana State with a narrow 72-69 victory on Tuesday evening. Nick Martinelli led the Wildcats with an impressive 22 points, while Brooks Barnhizer contributed significantly with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

With just 47 seconds on the clock, Jabe Mullins of Montana State connected on a crucial 3-pointer that tied the game at 67. However, Northwestern quickly responded as Matthew Nicholson performed an alley-oop dunk, regaining the lead for his team. In a vital defensive play, Ty Berry blocked a layup attempt from Brandon Walker during Montana State’s next possession.

In the closing moments, Jalen Leach of Northwestern secured the win by sinking two free throws with only 10 seconds left, and Justin Mullins capped the game with another free throw just 2 seconds prior to the final buzzer.

Martinelli had a shooting performance of 10-of-22 and added seven rebounds to his tally. Entering this game, the junior forward was averaging 25.3 points per game, placing him second in the Big Ten Conference and 11th nationally, along with 7.8 rebounds, which was ninth in the Big Ten.

Barnhizer shot 9-of-15 and led the team with four assists out of Northwestern’s total of 13. Leach also contributed a solid 12 points for the Wildcats, who improved to a record of 4-1.

On the other side of the court, Mullins netted 17 points and made three of Montana State’s nine 3-pointers, while Walker added 14 points and Max Agbonkpolo chipped in 13 points for the Bobcats, who now hold a record of 1-4.

Agbonkpolo was instrumental in the first half, scoring 10 points and helping Montana State to a 39-34 advantage at halftime. The Wildcats managed to take a brief 42-41 lead following a hook shot from Martinelli, and two consecutive 3-point shots by Ty Berry extended their lead to 52-42. Both teams found themselves tied at 57 later in the game, and from there, the scoring was tightly contested, with neither team able to establish more than a three-point lead until the game drew to its dramatic conclusion.

This game marked the initial encounter between the two teams in their basketball histories.