Wildcats drop 9th straight
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue guard Jaden Ivey is making it look easy.
He scored a career-high 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds and provided the energy No. 24 Purdue needed to get past pesky Northwestern 75-70 on Saturday.
“I felt like all those shots were in rhythm,” Ivey said. “We were able to get some things. We still have to get better, but those opportunities are going to come. We just have to keep playing like that.”
The Boilermakers (13-7, 8-5 Big Ten) were tough, resilient and balanced.
Zach Edey had 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Boilermakers won for the sixth time in eight games. Purdue also has won nine straight in the series for the first time since 1994-98 and gave coach Matt Painter his 350th career win and victory No. 175 in Big Ten play.
It was another tough day for the reeling Wildcats (6-10, 3-9), who lost their ninth straight. Pete Nance finished with 20 points and Chase Audige had 18 points in a game they never led.
The primary reason: Ivey.
“When you play Purdue, you have to give a lot of attention to Trevion Williams, and they play through their big guys,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “”When they do that, you have to make a decision about what you want to do. We chose to give some help (inside).”
And that opened the door for Ivey. The freshman guard took full advantage, jump-starting the Boilermakers after a sluggish start by spurring a 17-6 run that gave Purdue a 33-20 lead late in the first half. But the Wildcats closed the half with four straight 3-pointers.
The Boilermakers retook control when Eric Hunter Jr. capped a 6-0 spurt with a layup that made it 51-42 with 11 minutes, 56 seconds to play. The Wildcats never got closer than four the rest of the game.