Northwestern
6-1,1-0Big Ten
#1 Purdue
7-1,0-1Big Ten
For the Second Consecutive Season, Northwestern Downs No. 1 Purdue, 92-88
12/2/2023 12:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – For the second consecutive season, Northwestern rallied from behind to stun No. 1 Purdue inside Welsh-Ryan Arena with a 92-88 overtime win. Boo Buie exploded for 31 points on 10-of-20 shooting with nine assists and zero turnovers. Buie is the first high major player to post 30+ points, 9+ assists and zero turnovers since at least 2010-11.
DOWN GOES NO. 1 AGAIN ?? pic.twitter.com/B4aveJLu5E
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) December 2, 2023
Northwestern is the seventh program to defeat an AP No. 1 in back-to-back seasons since 2010-11. The Wildcats are the third program to ever defeat the same AP No. 1 opponent at home in consecutive seasons, and first to do so while being unranked in both games.
Ty Berry tallied 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, making his fourth consecutive game in double figures. Ryan Langborg chipped in 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-5 from deep. The backcourt trio combined to score 72 of the team's 92 points.
How It Happened
Northwestern got off to a slow start shooting the ball, falling behind 29-16 early before narrowing the gap to 40-32 after 20 minutes. The Wildcats turned the ball over just once in the first half, while forcing seven Purdue turnovers.
The 'Cats went on an 8-1 run in 1:36 early in the second half to take a 48-47 lead, with all eight points coming from Boo Buie. Both teams traded leads for the remainder of the second half, with Purdue tying the game at 76 with 0.6 seconds remaining to force overtime. Langborg posted 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and 2-of-2 from deep in the second half.
Purdue snagged an 84-82 lead with 2:29 left in overtime before the Wildcats rattled off a 5-0 run, capped off by Buie's jumper, to seize an 87-84 lead with 1:30 to go in the period. Berry and Buie each posted 7 points in overtime to pace all 'Cats in the extra frame.
Game Notes
» The Wildcats are the 25th program and sixth in the Big Ten to record two wins against AP No. 1 opponents since 2010-11.
» Northwestern is the sixth program to defeat an AP No. 1 twice while being unranked in both games since 2000-01, joining Rutgers, Ohio State, Kansas St., Butler, and Boston College.
» Northwestern is the second team to turn the ball three or fewer times against an AP No. 1 opponent since 2010-11. Minnesota committed three turnovers in a loss to No. 1 Michigan St. on Jan. 2, 2016.
» Northwestern is the first team to beat a ranked opponent while being outrebounded by 25+ since 2010-11.
» Boo Buie, Ryan Langborg, and Ty Berry all scored over 20 points, the first time three 'Cats have scored 20+ in the same game since Chase Audige, Ty Berry, and Pete Nance did so against Ohio State on Jan. 9, 2022.
» Boo Buie became the first player to post a 30+ point, 9+ assist game in the nation this season.
» He is also the first player with a 9+ assist, zero turnover night this season.
» Buie is averaging 20.3 points per game this season. He is the first Northwestern player to average 20+ points through the first seven games of a season since John Shurna in 2011-12.
» Ty Berry scored seven points in each half and the overtime period.
» Berry is averaging 15.5 points in his past four games.
» Ryan Langborg notched his first 20-point game as a Wildcat in his introduction to Big Ten play.
» Luke Hunger played a career-high 14 minutes off the bench, tallying six points, five rebounds, and two assists.
Northwestern returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 10 against Detroit Mercy at 1 p.m. CT on B1G+ and WGN Radio 720.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
