POISON IVEY
Freshman guard scores career-high 20 points as Boilermakers beat sagging Northwestern
WEST LAFAYETTE — Jaden Ivey scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds Saturday, providing the energy No. 24 Purdue needed to get past pesky Northwestern 7570.
Zach Edey had 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Boilermakers won for the sixth time in eight games. Purdue (13-7, 8-5 Big Ten) also has won nine straight in the series for the first time since 1994-98.
Boilermakers coach Matt Painter celebrated his 350th career win and victory No. 175 in Big Ten play.
Pete Nance finished with 20 points and Chase Audige had 18 points to lead the Wildcats (6-10, 3-9) , who have lost nine straight. And this time, they never even led. Ivey was the primary reason. The freshman guard jumpstarted the Boilermakers after a sluggish start, 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 and made it 35-34 when Nance opened the second half with a layup.
The Boilermakers retook control when Eric Hunter Jr. capped a 6-0 spurt with a layup that made it 51-42 with 11:56 to play. The Wildcats never got closer than four the rest of the game.
Despite losing Tuesday on the road and Saturday's struggles, the Boilermakers just keep winning. While this one might not look impressive, guard Sasha Stefanovic returned after missing three games following a positive COVID-19 test.
Purdue set a school record by cracking the poll for a sixth consecutive season last week. The Boilermakers are likely to be in the 20s again this week.