For the first time since their season opener vs. Lehigh, Northwestern handled a non-conference game easily and crushed Pepperdine, 68-50.
Guard Jalen Leach led all scorers with 21, forward Nick Martinelli was right behind him with 20 and the Wildcats led for the final 37 minutes behind superb ball control and swarming defense, Pepperdine's 50 points were the fewest allowed by the Wildcats since they held Arizona State to 46 in December of last season.
Northwestern has escaped its early non-conference slate but one of the troubling tendencies from narrow wins the past two games were the turnover battles: the Wildcats were even with EIU and +1 against Montana State. But tonight, they got back to their principles and harried Pepperdine's offense, forcing 11 turnovers and picking up a +5 margin.
Pepperdine's leading scorer, Stefan Todorvic, came into the game red-hot, averaging 23.5 points and 40% shooting from 3. Northwestern poured cold water on that, and Todorovic scored just six points on 2-for-10 shooting from the field, and 0-for-4 beyond the arc.
The guards and wings for the Wildcats looked more like hounds, switching screen after screen and preventing the Waves from building any kind of offensive flow or rhythm.
Here are our takeaways from Northwestern's fifth non-conference win of the season against one loss.
Leach has found his role as a score-first guard: The Wildcats' only loss of the season was a hard-fought game at Dayton where the Flyers harassed Northwestern with a grueling full-court press that forced 16 turnovers.
One of the players that struggled most was Leach. The grad transfer guard couldn't crack the code and finished the game with just seven points and two assists.
Since then, he's been on a mission. In the 3-0 run since Dayton, he's averaging 20 points per game, on eight more minutes and three more shots per game.
Some of that has come from the Brooks Barnhizer boost as teams recalibrate their defenses to account for the return of the preseason All-Big Ten guard. But some has also come from Leach rededicating himself as an aggressive guard that can stuff the stat sheet and take a game over, rather than waiting to pick and choose his spots.
Leach is still not much of a distributor: he has just three assists total in that same stretch, and he hasn't assuaged the concerns as a press-break ball handler. But what he has done is firmly put proof in the concept that he can not only find a role at Northwestern, but excel in it.
The Wildcat offense has created a three-headed monster with Barnhizer at the point of attack and Martinelli and Leach on the wings, and the whole trio is ready and willing to go for 20+ depending on who the defense keys in on.
Mullins' patience pays off: Leach and Martinelli lit up the scoreboard, but they didn't lead the team in plus-minus. That honor went to junior guard Justin Mullins with a +21 off the bench in 29 minutes. Those 29 minutes were more than he played for the Wildcats for all of November through January last season after transferring in from Denver.
It has taken him a season to find his legs at this level, but he has been exceptional off the bench. Although there have been flashes from freshman guards Angelo Ciaravino and KJ Windham, it has been Mullins who has stepped to the fore as this team's sixth man.
Mullins' upside was initially seen as a scorer, but he's doubled down on becoming an excellent defender and using his athleticism on fast breaks in the open court. He provided key breathing room early in the first half with back-to-back steals. The first he took all the way himself, punctuating the play with a breakaway dunk. The second, he ran out and dished to Martinelli, who got fouled and split the free throws. In a flash, Mullins created three points off turnovers and killed two Pepperdine possessions.
His patience to stick with the program after struggling to find playing time the previous season is uncommon in this era, and he is a key cog in how switchable Northwestern is on the perimeter.
Barnhizer's defense stabilized his rusty offense: After a dynamic return with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Montana State on Tuesday night, Barnhizer came back down to earth a bit with 13 points on 4-for-12 shooting and six rebounds. His jumper was flat, especially from deep, where he was 0-for-3, and he played 31 minutes as he works his way back into the ironman shape that is his signature.
One thing that's been ironclad, though, is his defense. Barnhizer had three steals and a block in both of his games since he was clear to return, and on Friday night he pushed the defense back to the level it has been.
The Wildcats' switching style will hit a snag come conference play as better teams target their less mobile bigs like Matt Nicholson and Luke Hunger, but, as it is, Northwestern's ability to switch positions 1-4 is outstanding.
The Waves shifted, screened and seethed at the top of the key trying to find an avenue into the paint past Ty Berry, Leach, Barnhizer and Martinelli, but they couldn't crack it. Not to mention it extends to the bench with the aforementioned Mullins, Ciaravino and Windham.
This Wildcat team has seven strong-and-long players they can throw at the point of attack with confidence. That is a very powerful tool to have in your kit this early in the season.
