Ty Berry swished a career-best seven 3-pointers on his way to 23 points and Brooks Barnhizer had 21 points and eight rebounds to lift host Northwestern to a 79-70 win against Indiana on Wednesday in Evanston, Ill.
Nick Martinelli added 18 points and Jalen Leach scored all 15 of his points after halftime for Northwestern (12-7, 3-5 Big Ten). The Wildcats made double-digit 3-pointers for the first time this season, finishing 13-for-27 from deep.
Indiana (14-6, 5-4) lost for the third time in four games despite a strong perimeter game of its own. After trailing by 14 with 3:12 remaining, the Hoosiers closed to within four points on a 3-pointer by Mackenzie Mgbako with 44 seconds left.
Northwestern regrouped to seal the game from the free throw line.
Mgbako scored 20 points to lead four Hoosiers in double figures. Oumar Ballo had 15 points and seven rebounds, Luke Goode scored 14 points on 4-of-5 accuracy from deep, and Myles Rice had 11 points.
Indiana used a 10-0 run to take a 52-49 lead with 9:25 to go, punctuating the spurt with a Ballo alley-oop dunk from Trey Galloway.
The Hoosiers went cold after that, as the Wildcats seized control with a 13-0 run. Indiana stopped the surge with a Ballo tip-in before Leach responded with a trey, his third over a 1:26 span, to keep the Wildcats rolling.
Malik Reneau returned to the lineup for Indiana in his first action since injuring his right knee early during a Jan. 2 victory against Rutgers. He contributed two points in 11 minutes.
Indiana and Northwestern combined on 33.3 percent shooting (18-for-54) and 15 turnovers in the first half.
A strong start from the floor boosted Northwestern to a 23-13 lead on a 3-pointer by Berry with 9:35 remaining in the half.
But Northwestern missed its last 12 field goals entering halftime while Indiana took advantage, closing the first half on an 18-2 run. Ballo started the spurt with four quick points, and Mgbako closed it with a driving layup just ahead of the buzzer to send the Hoosiers to the locker room with a 31-25 lead.
Ballo and Leach both finished with seven assists.
Northwestern extended its series winning streak to five games.
–Field Level Media
