Wildcats Open Cancun Challenge with On-Campus Game against Mastodons

NORTHWESTERN MEN'S BASKETBALL: GAME INFORMATION
DATE	Opponent	TIME	LOCATION	Watch	Live Stats
Friday, November 18	Purdue Fort Wayne	7 p.m. CT	Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill.	B1G+	Live Stats
Radio: AM 720 WGN Social: Twitter: @NUMensbball \| Instagram: @numensbball \| Digital Program

EVANSTON, Ill. – The Northwestern men's basketball will look to improve to 4-0 as it begins the Cancun Challenge with an on-campus game inside Welsh-Ryan Arena at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 18 against preseason Horizon League favorite, Purdue Fort Wayne. Max Thoma (play-by-play) and Noah Coffman (analyst) have the call on B1G+, and Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst) will describe the action on AM 720 WGN.

The Wildcats (3-0) are perfect through three games for the fourth time in head coach Chris Collins' 10 seasons and are searching to go 4-0 for the second consecutive season. Northwestern defeated Georgetown 75-63 on Tuesday (Nov. 15) night in Washington, D.C., as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. Senior Chase Audige led the team by scoring 17 points, including 13 in the second half, as Northwestern exploded for 42 second half points. Senior Boo Buie scored all 12 of his points in the second stanza. Junior Matthew Nicholson led the way with a career-high nine boards as NU held a decisive 48-31 advantage on the glass. Northwestern drilled 14 threes, its most since 2020 against Quincy (14), and won the first meeting between the two programs.

Senior Robbie Beran leads the team averaging 15.3 points per game, and his 46 points are the most over a three-game span in his career. Junior guard Ty Berry leads the team posting 8.3 rebounds per game, registering seven or more in all three games. As a team, Northwestern is 23rd nationally and second in the Big Ten averaging 45.3 rebounds per game. For the first time since 2016, the 'Cats have tallied 40 or more boards in three straight games.

Buie is just six points away from becoming the 39th 1,000-point scorer in program history. He would become just the fifth player in program history with 1,000 career points and 300 career assists, joining Bryant McIntosh (2015-18), Michael Thompson (2008-11), Pat Baldwin (1991-94) and Craig Moore (2006-09). The senior's 312 career assists rank eighth in program history.

The 'Cats downed the Mastodons, then known as IPFW, 73-49 on Feb. 11, 2006, in the only prior matchup between the two programs. Tim Doyle recorded team-highs of 14 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Mohamed Hachad scored 12 points in a perfect shooting display and Bernard Cote added 11.

Purdue Fort Wayne (2-1) defeated NCAA Division III member Manchester (Ind.) 111-31 in its last game on Monday (Nov. 14) night. Quinton Morton-Robertson leads the team averaging 14.7 points per game and Jarred Godfrey has pulled down a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game. Last season the 'Dons finished 21-12 and 15-6 in Horizon League play and were voted as preseason league favorites, along with Northern Kentucky, in the coaches' poll.

Northwestern will travel to the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, which sits along the Caribbean coastline on the eastern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula, for its remaining two games in the MTE. The 'Cats will take on Liberty at 7:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 22 and battle either No. 13 Auburn or Bradley on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Both games will air on CBS Sports Network.

Wildcats Open Cancun Challenge with On-Campus Game against Mastodons

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chase Audige

Robbie Beran

Ty Berry

Boo Buie

Matthew Nicholson

Northwestern University Athletics