Northwestern University Athletics
Thursday, March 12
Chicago, Ill.
5:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
15-19,5-15Big Ten
68
vs
81
#18 Purdue
24-8,13-7Big Ten
1st half1
2nd half2
FinalF
Northwestern
21
47
68
Purdue
45
36
81
NU Falls 81-68 to No. 18 Purdue in Big Ten Tournament Third Round
3/12/2026 8:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO — Northwestern's Big Ten Tournament run drew to a close in an 81-68 loss to No. 18 Purdue in Thursday night's Third Round matchup in the United Center.
"Their pop early knocked us back, but we were kind of a step slow to everything early," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "We dug ourselves a big hole there in the first half, and I'm really proud of our team in the second half. I challenged our guys. We were down, but we were not going to tap out."
In their third game in as many days, the 15-seed Wildcats (15-19, 5-15 Big Ten) faced an early deficit and couldn't recover. The 7-seed Boilermakers (24-8, 13-7 Big Ten) built a 24-point halftime lead, which proved too much for NU to overcome.
Senior forward Nick Martinelli posted a game-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. Martinelli has scored at least 20 points in 20 games in 2025-26.
"I was super proud of our fight the whole way, led by [Martinelli]," Collins said. "I'm so proud of everything he's meant to our program, more importantly this year — with a really young team that was going through a lot of tough times — the big brother he was. I just kept thinking back to the guys that were big brothers to him."
"He continued to show up every day to set the example for our younger players about what it means to be a Northwestern player."
Junior guard Jayden Reid recorded 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting and a team-high nine assists. Reid went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Canning a pair of 3-pointers, junior guard Jordan Clayton tallied 10 points, three rebounds and four assists. Clayton has hit at least one 3-pointer in six consecutive games.
Despite 10 first-half points from Martinelli on an efficient 5-for-6 from the field, the 'Cats entered halftime down 45-21.
Northwestern outscored Purdue 47-36 in the second half, setting a new program record for points scored in a half in Big Ten Tournament play. The 'Cats converted 62.1% of their second-half field goals, including a 75% 3-point-percentage.
On its 28 made field goals, NU racked up 22 assists to just nine turnovers. The 'Cats set a program-high assist mark for a conference tournament game, surpassing their previous record of 21 set on Tuesday night against Penn State.
"It's tough to be at the end of the road for us," Collins said. "It always sucks. You're in the fight, and it's over. You get up in the morning, and you're ready to roll. You get a big game against Purdue, and then now it's over. Really proud of this group fighting through adversity through the year."
"Their pop early knocked us back, but we were kind of a step slow to everything early," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "We dug ourselves a big hole there in the first half, and I'm really proud of our team in the second half. I challenged our guys. We were down, but we were not going to tap out."
Nick Martinelli. Wildcat Forever ?? pic.twitter.com/DdB9lXXarJ
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) March 13, 2026
In their third game in as many days, the 15-seed Wildcats (15-19, 5-15 Big Ten) faced an early deficit and couldn't recover. The 7-seed Boilermakers (24-8, 13-7 Big Ten) built a 24-point halftime lead, which proved too much for NU to overcome.
Senior forward Nick Martinelli posted a game-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. Martinelli has scored at least 20 points in 20 games in 2025-26.
"I was super proud of our fight the whole way, led by [Martinelli]," Collins said. "I'm so proud of everything he's meant to our program, more importantly this year — with a really young team that was going through a lot of tough times — the big brother he was. I just kept thinking back to the guys that were big brothers to him."
"He continued to show up every day to set the example for our younger players about what it means to be a Northwestern player."
Junior guard Jayden Reid recorded 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting and a team-high nine assists. Reid went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Canning a pair of 3-pointers, junior guard Jordan Clayton tallied 10 points, three rebounds and four assists. Clayton has hit at least one 3-pointer in six consecutive games.
Despite 10 first-half points from Martinelli on an efficient 5-for-6 from the field, the 'Cats entered halftime down 45-21.
Northwestern outscored Purdue 47-36 in the second half, setting a new program record for points scored in a half in Big Ten Tournament play. The 'Cats converted 62.1% of their second-half field goals, including a 75% 3-point-percentage.
On its 28 made field goals, NU racked up 22 assists to just nine turnovers. The 'Cats set a program-high assist mark for a conference tournament game, surpassing their previous record of 21 set on Tuesday night against Penn State.
"It's tough to be at the end of the road for us," Collins said. "It always sucks. You're in the fight, and it's over. You get up in the morning, and you're ready to roll. You get a big game against Purdue, and then now it's over. Really proud of this group fighting through adversity through the year."
Team Stats
NU
Purdue
FG%
.528
.492
3FG%
.429
.348
FT%
.750
.765
RB
23
35
TO
9
7
STL
3
4
Game Leaders
Pts
25
FGM
10
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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