Northwestern Wins Third Straight as Chris Collins Climbs Leaderboard

The Wildcat defense completely overwhelmed the Hawkeyes.

Feb 28, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Brock Harding (2) defends Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Northwestern struggled to shoot the ball early, but a strong performance from freshman K.J. Windham and a lockdown defensive game earned the Wildcats (16-13, 7-11 B1G) a 68-57 win over the Hawkeyes (15-14, 6-12).

Windham tied his season-high with 20 points off the bench on a strong 6-of-10 clip, including 4-of-7 from deep. He was the only Wildcat with more than three attempts to have more makes than misses.

The Big Ten's leading scorer, Nick Martinelli, had a rough start to the game. He made just one of his eight shots in the first half before scoring 12 in the second. Martinelli also had nine rebounds and played in 39 of 40 possible minutes.

On the defensive end, NU held the high-flying Iowa offense to its lowest point total this season while limiting the team to just 36.2% shooting. The Hawkeyes never led, but got as close as a one-point deficit in the second half.

The win not only boosted the Wildcats' chances of reaching the Big Ten Tournament, it also moved Chris Collins into sole possession of the second-most all-time wins among Northwestern head coaches. Collins' 193rd win passed his predecessor, Bill Carmody, who reached the mark in 23 more games.

Arthur Lonborg is atop the rankings with 236 wins, which he accrued in 23 seasons leading the Wildcats from 1927 to 1950.

After sharing how honored he was to be among some of Northwestern's coaching greats, Collins made sure to credit those who have donned the purple, white and black uniforms.

"Coaching records are all about the players," Collins said. "I hope that guys that have put the jersey on for me over the 12 years take part in these wins, because I'm not getting any of the wins without those guys going out there and fighting their tails off for me."