Field Level Media
Feb 7, 2021
Jaden Ivey scored 20 points to lead No. 24 Purdue to a 75-70 home win over Northwestern in a Big Ten contest on Saturday.
Zach Edey scored 12 points, Mason Gillis had 11 points and Brandon Newman added 10 points for the Boilermakers (13-7, 8-5 Big Ten), who have won six of their past eight games.
Pete Nance scored 20 points, Chase Audige had 18 points and Ryan Young added 10 points for Northwestern (6-10, 3-9), which has lost nine straight games after starting league play 3-0.
The big difference in the game was free-throw shooting.
Purdue went 23 of 24 from the foul line, while Northwestern was 8 of 11.
After holding a 35-32 lead at halftime and a 45-42 lead with 13:51 remaining in the game, Purdue scored six points in a row to grab a 51-42 lead with 11:56 left.
Northwestern pulled within four at 55-51 with 4:26 remaining after a 3-pointer by Miller Kopp, but a 3-pointer by Newman and a layup by Edey gave Purdue a 60-53 lead with 3:15 remaining.
Following a basket by Young, Purdue stretched its lead to 64-55 on a layup by Ivey and a dunk by Newman with 2:02 left.
Edey made two free throws with 1:04 remaining to give Purdue a 68-57 lead, but Northwestern didn't go away quietly, pulling within 70-65 with 30.3 seconds left after a layup by Audige.
Purdue went up 72-65 with 28.9 seconds remaining on two free throws by Eric Hunter, and then after a missed layup by Boo Buie, Purdue took a 73-65 lead with 21.3 seconds left on a free throw by Aaron Wheeler.
Leading 21-18 with 6:37 remaining in the first half, Purdue surged ahead with a 12-2 run to take a 33-20 lead with 2:53 left until halftime.
But Northwestern ended the first half with a flurry, answering with a 12-2 run of its own to close within 35-32 at halftime.
--Field Level Media