Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
10-11, 1-7B1G
Purdue
14-8, 6-3B1G
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue | 28 | 40 | 68 |
| Northwestern | 29 | 31 | 60 |
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Northwestern Suffers Loss to Purdue, 68-60
1/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. -- A slow start in the second half deemed costly for Northwestern men's basketball Saturday night, falling to Purdue at Welsh-Ryan Arena, 68-60.
The Wildcats held a one-point lead at halftime, 29-28, but the Boilermakers opened the second half with a 15-2 run to create a double-digit deficit the `Cats could not overcome.
Freshman Bryant McIntosh and junior Tre Demps each scored 18 points to lead the Wildcats offensively.
The Wildcats (10-11, 1-7 B1G) and Boilermakers (14-8, 6-3 B1G) played as even as two teams could in a back-and-forth first half that saw eight ties and seven lead changes.
Northwestern fell behind early as the Boilermakers went 5-for-10 from the floor to start the game, givin them the lead at the first media timeout, 10-6.
The NU defense clamped down and forced three-straigt turnovers however, allowing them to put together a mini 6-0 run behind five points by Demps to take their first lead of the game, 12-10.
A triple at the 8:34 mark by senior Dave Sobolewski broke a 14-14 tie, but Purdue went on a 7-0 run to take a 21-17 lead with 5:32 remaining in the first half.
True freshman Vic Law ended the run by an acrobatic offensive rebound and putback before a pair of free throws by the freshman and a lay up by classmate Gavin Skelly gave the Wildcats a 25-23 lead.
NU held the Boilermakers without a field goal over the final 4:53 of the first half and ultimately took a one-point lead into the break on a floater by McIntosh with 3.3 ticks on the clock.
Unfortunately, the lead did not last long for the 'Cats as the Boilermakers knocked down their first six shots during their 15-2 run to take a 43-31 lead just 4:50 into the second half.
After falling behind by as much as 16, 49-33, the Wildcats went on a 9-2 run that was capped on a three by Demps at the 11:36 mark to cut the deficit to single digits, 51-42.
Purdue pushed their lead back to double digits, 55-44, but a steal at midcourt and dunk by freshman Scottie Lindsey followed by a lay in by junior Alex Olah pulled the Wildcats within seven with 3:54 remaining, 55-48.
Northwestern cut the deficit to six on a pair of free throws by McIntosh with 1:48 to play and were able to get a defensive stop, but an offensive rebound by A.J. Hammon extended the possession for Purdue, forcing the `Cats to foul. Purdue iced the game by hitting 6-of-7 free throws over the final 1:10.
Hammons led four Boilermakers in double figures with 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Northwestern will be back in action Tuesday, Feb. 3 when it travels to Nebraska. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.
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