WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Short-handed Northwestern had no answer for Purdue's red-hot shooting from 3-point range as the 23^rd-ranked Boilermakers defeated the 25^th-ranked Wildcats 80-59 Wednesday evening at Mackey Arena.
 
Bryant McIntosh scored a team-high 22 points for the Wildcats who dressed only eight scholarship players for the contest and were without the services of leading-scorer Scottie Lindsey.
 
Northwestern's defense set the tone early, forcing turnovers by Purdue's Caleb Swanigan on each of the Boilermakers' first three possessions.
 
The Wildcats held a 10-9 lead six minutes into the contest when Purdue caught fire from behind the arch as Dakota Mathias hit a triple and Vincent Edwards hit two in a row, giving the hosts an eight-point advantage. Two more treys extended Purdue's lead to 12 as the Boilers connected on six of their first eight 3-point attempts.
 
Northwestern hung in the game by continuing to force turnovers with two free throws by Gavin Skelly and a basket by McIntosh trimming the deficit to eight, 24-16.
 
However, the Wildcats didn't have an answer for the Boilermakers' red-hot shooting, particularly Edwards who hit four 3-pointers in five attempts in the first half.
 
Purdue shot a blistering 9-of-14 from behind the arch as a team over the opening 20 minutes of play while Northwestern was held without a make from 3-point range in the first half.
 
The Boilermakers took a 45-23 lead into halftime as they shot 60.9 percent (14-23) from the field while limiting NU to 32 percent (8-25) shooting.
 
Northwestern dug in an managed to hold Purdue in check in the second half. McIntosh led the charge for the Wildcats, scoring 14 points after the intermission.
 
Freshman Barret Benson provided NU with a boost off the bench, scoring a career-best 8 points in the contest while freshman Isiah Brown contributed 9 in his first collegiate start.
 
Northwestern returns to action next Tuesday, Feb. 7 when it hosts Illinois at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tickets are available by calling 888-GO-PURPLE or by visiting NUsports.com.
 
Northwestern Notes at Purdue
Feb. 1, 2017
• The loss snaps Northwestern's six-game Big Ten winning streak, its longest since the 1932-33 season.
• Wednesday's game was Northwestern's first playing as a ranked team since Jan. 2, 2010. The Wildcats are ranked No. 25 in this week's Associated Press poll.
• Bryant McIntosh scored a team-high 22 points for the Wildcats. It was his second consecutive game scoring at least 20 points, his sixth of the season and 13^th of his career.
• McIntosh recorded four assists in the game, raising his career total to 492, the most of any non-senior in the nation.
• Sanjay Lumpkin started the 113^th game of his career, moving him into a tie with Tavaras Hardy (1999-2002) for sixth place in school history.
• Freshman guard Isiah Brown made his first career start Wednesday. He finished with 9 points.
• Lumpkin recorded 7 rebounds in the contest, moving him past Harold Grant (590, 1952-55) into 16^th place all-time at Northwestern. Lumpkin currently has 593 career rebounds.
• Freshman center Barret Benson came off the bench to score a career-high 8 points. His previous high was 6 at Penn State Dec. 27, 2016.
 

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