Ohio State
7-1,1-0Big Ten
Northwestern
5-4,0-2Big Ten
Noel’s Huge Game Lifts Buckeyes Past Northwestern in Big Ten Opener
12/6/2025 5:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Behind a season-high 29 points from fifth-year forward Brandon Noel (Lucasville, Ohio), Ohio State opened Big Ten play with a hard-fought 86–82 road win over Northwestern Saturday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The Buckeyes improve to 7-1 overall on the season and 1-0 in Big Ten play.
Noel went 13-of-15 from the field and added seven rebounds and a block, delivering clutch baskets throughout the second half as the Buckeyes battled back-and-forth with the Wildcats. Senior guard Bruce Thornton (Fairburn, Ga.) recorded his fifth career double-double, finishing with 17 points and a game-high 10 assists, including two key free throws in the final minute to help seal the win.
After a fast-paced opening stretch, Northwestern used strong inside play and 18 first-half points from Nick Martinelli to carry a 44–40 lead into halftime. Ohio State countered with balanced scoring, including 10 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting from Noel and 12 first-half bench points.
The Wildcats pushed their lead early in the second half, but a momentum-shifting lay-in from Thornton quieted the crowd and sparked an 8–0 run that tied the game at 64 with under eight minutes to play. Ohio State eventually pulled ahead, thanks in part to timely buckets from Devin Royal (Pickerington, Ohio) and continued dominance in the paint from Noel.
Royal finished with 10 points, including a clutch three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining that gave the Buckeyes an eight-point cushion. Freshman forward Amare Bynum (Omaha, Neb.) added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench, helping Ohio State to a 18–8 edge in bench scoring.
Martinelli led all scorers with 32 points and eight rebounds for Northwestern, while Arrinten Page (Atlanta, Ga.) chipped in 13 points and nine boards.
The Buckeyes shot 57.4 percent from the field and 62 points in the paint, the most in a game since 2022.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will return home to host No. 14 Illinois on Tuesday night at the Schottenstein Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed on Peacock and televised on NBCSN.
#GoBucks
