Sasha Stefanovic scored 22 points on 6-for-10 shooting, all from 3-point range, and No. 4 Purdue posted an 80-60 win over visiting Northwestern in a Big Ten matchup Sunday afternoon in West Lafayette, Ind.
Trevion Williams and Zach Edey each collected 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Boilermakers. Eric Hunter Jr. had 10 points to go along with a team-high five assists for Purdue (16-3, 5-3), which bounced back from a 68-65 loss against Indiana on Thursday.
Boo Buie scored 17 points to lead Northwestern (9-8, 2-6), which lost for the sixth time in its past seven games. Pete Nance and Robbie Beran finished with nine points apiece.
The Boilermakers had a 32-18 advantage in points in the paint and a 31-16 edge in bench points.
Purdue pulled away midway through the second half. The Boilermakers held on to a tight lead before going on a 14-2 run to make it 62-44 with 8:34 to play. Stefanovic and Hunter each made 3-pointers during the run, which included layups by Williams and Edey.
Northwestern opened the second half on a 7-0 run to pull within 40-35 with 18:19 remaining. Nance and Beran hit back-to-back jump shots during the run, and Buie buried a 3-pointer.
Purdue built a 40-28 lead at the half.
The Boilermakers went on an early 10-3 run to seize a 15-9 lead with 12:31 remaining in the first half. Stefanovic made a 3-pointer during the run, and Williams added a three-point play with a layup and a free throw.
Northwestern pulled back within four points on a jump shot by Nance with 10:46 left in the half, but Purdue responded with a 12-2 run to go ahead 29-15 with 5:49 remaining. Caleb Furst started that scoring binge for the Boilermakers with a 3-pointer off an assist from Hunter.
Buie made a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to finish the first-half scoring for Northwestern.
After Sunday’s victory, Purdue will have a brief respite before visiting Iowa on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Northwestern is scheduled to visit Michigan on Wednesday night.
–Field Level Media
