The game sure looked just about over when No. 19 Illinois took a 46-36 lead against Northwestern on a Kasparas Jakucionis three-pointer with 10:01 to go.
It was just one of a load of huge threes hit by Jakucionis in a second half that seemed clearly destined to go the Illini’s way.
But Northwestern answered — over and over, time and again — with veterans Brooks Barnhizer and Nick Martinelli refusing to be brushed aside. Barnhizer was everywhere. Martinelli kept scoring. Somehow, the Wildcats (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) got it to overtime. Martinelli scored seven of his game-high 27 points in the extra session as the Illini (6-2) dropped their Big Ten opener.
The whole vibe changed on a gorgeous Illinois bucket with 2:51 left in the first half. First, Lithuanian 18-year-old Jakucionis whipped a one-handed pass around a Martinelli-Matthew Nicholson double-team to 7-1 Croatian Tomislav Ivisic — another first-year Illini player — who was crashing into the lane. Ivisic, a lefty, then flipped a behind-the-back pass with his off hand that split defenders Jalen Leach and Barnhizer. Running the baseline, 18-year-old Canadian Will Riley accepted the ridiculously slick dime and laid in a reverse.
That’s how you do it, people.
But Barnhizer was even more effective with his physical play and booty ball, creating space and shots by backing down defenders who couldn’t handle him. And Martinelli, not the smoothest cat to watch, was utterly effective with his crafty leftiness.