National Basketball Association
Northwestern 90, Lehigh 46
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, November 4, 2024
Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Illinois
Officials:
# Alfred Smith, # Kenneth Moreland, # D.J. Carstensen
Attendance:
5521
By Field Level Media
Zack Martinelli scored 17 of his game-high 26 points before halftime and Luke Hunger chipped in 15 points to lift host Northwestern to a 90-46 rout of Lehigh on Monday in Evanston, Ill.
Northwestern led by as many as 50 points in the season opener for both teams. Martinelli grabbed 10 rebounds to notch a double-double.
Jalen Leach scored 12 points for the Wildcats while Ty Berry and K.J. Windham had 10 apiece. Northwestern forced 12 Mountain Hawks turnovers and enjoyed a 45-26 edge on the glass.
Nasir Whitlock paced Lehigh with 11 points. Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored 10 points and Edouard Benoit grabbed eight boards.
The Mountain Hawks were limited to 32.1 percent shooting, including 2-for-17 from 3-point range.
Northwestern featured plenty of cutting and ball movement in its attack, which helped the Wildcats create lots of good looks from close range en route to a 51-15 halftime advantage.
Crisp passing along the perimeter paid dividends, too. Northwestern's 58.3 percent effort from the field before the break featured 7-for-15 accuracy from long range.
Martinelli, Angelo Ciaravino and Windham combined to connect on three treys over a 57-second span late in the first half to stretch the Wildcats' advantage to 37 points, 49-12.
Lehigh shot 5-for-26 (19.2) percent from the floor in the first half, including misses on each of its 12 attempts from deep. Whitney-Sidney sparked the Mountain Hawks with eight first-half points.
The Wildcats scored the first nine points of the game and held the Mountain Hawks scoreless until Whitney-Sidney converted a three-point play with 15:51 to go in the first half.
Lehigh, which returns six of its top nine scorers from last season, didn't reach double digits as a team until a Keith Higgins Jr. jumper with 6:28 left until the break.
Wildcats senior Brooks Barnhizer, a preseason all-Big Ten pick who averaged 14.6 points last season, missed the game with a foot injury.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Lehigh |
|
Northwestern |
|
Nasir Whitlock 11 |
Scoring |
Nick Martinelli 26 |
|
Nasir Whitlock 4 |
Assists |
Jalen Leach 6 |
|
Edouard Benoit 8 |
Rebounds |
Nick Martinelli 10 |
|
Nasir Whitlock 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Nick Martinelli 6 |
|
Nasir Whitlock 2 |
Steals |
Ty Berry 2 |
|
Keith Higgins Jr. 1 |
Blocks |
Keenan Fitzmorris 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Lehigh
|
46 |
32.1 |
2-17 |
10-18 |
8 |
26 |
1 |
4 |
12 |
| Northwestern
|
90 |
54.5 |
9-20 |
9-14 |
22 |
41 |
3 |
10 |
8 |
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