Northwestern basketball: No. 24 Purdue tops Wildcats 75-70 – Chicago Tribune

You are now following this newsletter. See all newsletters. 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 and made it 35-34 when Nance opened the second half with a layup. [Most read in Sports] Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is engaged to ‘Big Little Lies’ star Shailene Woodley » 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. “He’s always like that,” Edey said when asked about Ivey. “He’s a guy that can go for 20 every game. He’s a big-time scoring threat. He’s so quick, he can jump, he can shoot the ball, he’s a complete player.” The Wildcats’ 6-1 start is a distant memory. And it looks as if there’s no end in sight with this remaining schedule: Indiana at home, at Rutgers and No. 12 Illinois, home against No. 19 Wisconsin and at Minnesota before closing out the regular season at home against Maryland and Nebraska. 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. Getting the Big Ten’s top 3-point shooter is only going to help. After starting 7 of 14 on 3s, the Wildcats finished 10 of 28. Northwestern has lost seven straight against ranked opponents after winning their first two this season. Recommended on Chicago Tribune