Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Travel to No. 16 Purdue Saturday
2/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 29, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern looks to continue its solid play of late as it travels to Purdue on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Central time. Big Ten Network will carry the game live with Tom Werme and Shon Morris on the call.
The game can also be heard on WGN Radio (720 AM) with Dave Eanet and Nate Pomeday.
This is the final road game of the regular season for Northwestern. The Wildcats finish up their slate with home games against Iowa on Tuesday and Wisconsin on Saturday prior to the following week's Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.
Series History: Purdue leads, 114-41
Last Meeting: Northwestern led throughout the majority of the first half and was still ahead with 10 minutes remaining, but E'Twaun Moore's game-high 28 points helped Purdue earn a 71-56 win Feb. 16 in Evanston.
Last Time Out
Craig Moore's school-record eighth 3-pointer with one minute left in regulation was the game-winner as Northwestern was able to finish off Michigan for a 62-60 victory Tuesday evening at Crisler Arena. Moore scored a game-high 25 points in the contest and broke the previous NU record of seven treys twice achieved by himself and Todd Leslie and once by Winston Blake. The Wildcats -- namely Moore -- came out on fire as Northwestern blindsided the Wolverines with a 16-2 lead five minutes into the game. Moore connected on each of his first four attempts, and six in the first half overall, to help NU to the early advantage. The Wildcats led by as many as 19 in the first half before Michigan scored the final eight points before the break to close within 36-25. Northwestern maintained its lead until the hosts took their first lead of the game with 1:15 remaining on two free throws by Manny Harris. But Moore responded with a trey to account for the final score. Michigan had a turnover and then a potential game-winning 3-point attempt miss in their final two possessions to allow NU to get the win.
Gimme Some Moore
Junior guard Craig Moore has been a threat from 3-point range all season. Four times this season, he has knocked down six or more triples in a game. His eight makes against Michigan Feb. 26 rank as a tie for the third-most ever in a Big Ten game, trailing only the nine made by Michigan State's Shawn Respert and Indiana's Roderick Wilmont. Moore is tops in the Big Ten with an average of 3.4 made 3-pointers per game this season and ranks third on NU's career list with 550 attempts and with 201 3-point makes. His 88 made 3-pointers this season have surpassed the previous school record of 86 set by Sean Wink in 1997-98. His 218 attempts are the second most in a season, just three behind Winston Blake's record total of 221 set in 2000-01.
Single-Season Average 3-Point Makes (Big Ten Games)
Player (School) Avg. Season
Shawn Respert (MSU) 4.44 1995
Chris Kingsbury (IOWA) 3.61 1995
Sharif Chambless (PSU) 3.56 2002
Craig Moore (NU) 3.33 2008
Single-Season 3-Point Attempts (Big Ten Games)
Player (School) Total Season
Shawn Respert (MSU) 173 1995
Chris Kingsbury (IOWA) 163 1995
Joe Crispin (PSU) 156 2001
Sharif Chambless (PSU) 143 2002
Craig Moore (NU) 131 2008
Scouting Purdue
• Purdue is tied with Indiana for second place in the Big Ten, just one game back in the win column of conference leader Wisconsin.
• Freshman E'Twaun Moore scored a game-high 22 points as the Boilermakers posted a 65-53 home win Tuesday over Minnesota.
• Moore leads a balanced Purdue scoring attack with an average of 12.2 points pre game, while classmate Robbie Hummel is second at 11.6 per contest.
• The Boilermakers lead the Big Ten with a +4.89 turnover margin. Northwestern is second at +4.08. Purdue forces an average of 17.7 turnovers per game.
Up Next...
Northwestern begins the final week of the regular season Tuesday when it hosts Iowa at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip-off is 8 p.m. Central time with Big Ten Network providing television coverage.
