The Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Northwestern Wildcats by a final score of 105-96. Purdue’s leading scorers were Zach Edey with 30 points and 15 rebounds, Lance Jones with 26 points and 1 assist, and Fletcher Loyer with 15 points and 2 assists.

1st Half
Purdue and Northwestern were going punch for punch in the first 15 minutes of the first half, Tyler Perry couldn’t miss a three, and Boo Buie started coming alive. At the 5:00 minute mark Purdue started to play some basketball, going on a 12-0 run to take the lead 33-25. When it seemed like Purdue might run away with the win, Boo Buie put the game in his hands, cutting the lead to four. Purdue was leading 47-39 at the end of the half.

2nd Half
The 2nd half was one of the most entertaining halves of basketball I’ve ever watched. Northwestern fought right back into the game, and they tied the game back up with 13 minutes remaining. Boo Buie and Tyler Berry were almost perfect in this game, and Ryan Langborg’s mid-range jumper was unstoppable. Northwestern was playing great basketball but Braden Smith, Lance Jones, and Zach Edey were playing out of their minds. Braden Smith was distributing the ball like prime Steve Nash, ending the game with a career-high 16 assists. Lance Jones ended the game 5-7 from behind the arch, and Zach Edey was very efficient with his shots this game, he was 11-14 from the field. Both teams had some struggles near the end of the half, Purdue was getting to the free throw line a lot, shooting 46 total free throws but only making 29. Northwestern’s problem was that they couldn’t get to the free throw line, only shooting 8 total and making 6. After a crazy final minute of action, Boo Buie had a chance for a signature game-winner, but he missed the floater and this was heading into overtime. The score was 81-81

Overtime
After a crazy ending to regular time, this game was in overtime. After a sequence of electric Zach Edey dunks and a Braden Smith layup Purdue led 93-87 with 1:44 left. After a timeout break, Brooks Barnhizer drew an and-1 foul and made the free throw. Braden Smith couldn’t have played better, and with 39 seconds remaining he found Fletcher Loyer open on the three-point line and Loyer had “ice in his veins”, moving the lead to 96-90. Then came the foul game, Lance Jones hit 5 free throws in the final 30 seconds, and after Northwestern’s coach ran onto the court with 1 second left and Boo Buie got a tech, Mason Gillis was going to shoot 4 technical free throws. Gillis was 4-4 from the line in the final second of the game. Purdue defeated Northwestern 105-96.

Player of The Game: Braden Smith
Say what you want to say, but Braden Smith deserves this award. I know Edey scored 30, and Jones scored 26, but 11 points and 16 assists cannot be beaten. Smith’s final stat line was 11 points, 16 assists, and 4 rebounds. Smith’s 16 assists were the 2nd most in a single game by a Purdue player, Edey could’ve scored 35 and Braden still would’ve won this award. Smith only had 2 turnovers the entire game, and this might’ve been the best passing performance I’ve ever seen. This kid is special. I don’t know if Purdue fans will ever see a duo as good as Edey and Smith. This team is really special. Edey is the NPOY, Smith is a top-7 point guard in the country as a sophomore, Jones is one of the best transfers in the country, Loyer is a sharpshooter who can give a spark on the offense, Gillis and TKR add huge value at the PF position, Heide and Colvin are freshman who deserve more time but are stuck behind our studs. I love this team so much, and I’m so excited to see what the future brings

#2 Purdue plays #6 Wisconsin on Sunday, February 6th at 1:00 PM EST @ Kohl’s Center

Boiler Up