COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Nick Martinelli scored 18 points and Northwestern pulled away in the second half to beat Ohio State 70-49 on Thursday night.
Ty Berry and K.J. Windham added 15 points each and Matthew Nicholson had 10 for Northwestern (14-13, 5-11 Big Ten), which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Micah Parrish scored 16 points and Bruce Thornton had 13 for the Buckeyes (15-12, 7-9). Double-figure scorers Devin Royal and John Mobley Jr. had just four each with Mobley not sinking a 3-pointer for the first time this season. The 49 points are a season low for Ohio State.
Leading by seven at halftime, the Wildcats scored the first 12 points of the second half with Berry and Windham scoring five each and Ohio State missing its first six shots. Northwestern’s lead grew to 28 midway through the half and wouldn’t dip below 20 until the final minute.
The Buckeyes had their only lead in the first few minutes of the game before the Wildcats went ahead, leading 31-24 at halftime.
Northwestern scored 18 points off 16 Buckeyes turnovers and its bench outscored Ohio State’s 25-8.
Northwestern, which lost double-figure scorers Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach earlier this year to season-ending injuries, came into Thursday’s game having lost six of its last seven, and was 0-8 in true road games. But the Wildcats beat Ohio State for the third straight time, doing so for the first time since 1966-67. The win was also the first time Northwestern has strung together two straight road victories over the Buckeyes since 1932-34.
Ohio State plays at UCLA on Sunday. Northwestern plays at Minnesota on Tuesday.