Northwestern Opens With a Statement: 86-60 Over Binghamton Behind Karasinski's 24 and West's 20-and-12
The Wildcats shot 72 percent in the first half, led 51-35 at the break and never let Binghamton back in it at Welsh-Ryan Arena — a 1-0 start built on the two best lines of the night.
Northwestern opened its 2026-27 season with an 86-60 win over Binghamton on Monday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, a wire-to-wire start that puts the Wildcats at 1-0 and the Bearcats at 0-1.
The tone was set in the first four minutes: Northwestern stormed out to a 12-3 lead, and after Binghamton trimmed it to 16-10, the Wildcats' shooting took over. Northwestern shot 72 percent as a team in the first half — 18 of 25 from the field, including 7 of 12 from beyond the arc — and carried a 51-35 lead into halftime.
Jack Karasinski led Northwestern with 24 points, 12 of them in the second half as the lead held, and Jake West paired 20 points with 12 assists. For Binghamton, Demetrius Lilley posted 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds — the ninth double-double of his career — and Bobby Montgomery Jr. scored 10 points with two steals and a block in his Bearcats debut.
Binghamton scored the first two baskets of the second half but never caught the Wildcats. The Bearcats move on to Saint Peter's on Thursday in Jersey City, as part of the inaugural America East-Metro Challenge.
