Northwestern University Athletics
Wednesday, March 4
Evanston, Ill.
7:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
13-17,5-14Big Ten
66
vs
70
#15 Purdue
23-7,13-6Big Ten
1
2
F
Purdue
25
45
70
Northwestern
34
32
66
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
NU’s Upset Bid Falls Short in 70-66 Thriller with No. 15 Purdue
3/4/2026 11:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern's pursuit of a third home win over No. 15 Purdue in the past four years fell painstakingly short in a 70-66 defeat on Wednesday night in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"I was really proud of my team tonight," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "I didn't know how much we were going to have in the tank. We were a little banged up and had this old team coming in that's really good. You know what they're going to be about. I thought we fought for 40 minutes."
While the Wildcats (13-17, 5-14 Big Ten) held the Boilermakers (23-7, 13-6 Big Ten) to their lowest scoring half of the season (25) in the opening 20 minutes, the visitors seized control late to stave off a spirited upset effort.
Senior forward Nick Martinelli led all scorers with 28 points and dished out three assists. In his final collegiate home game, Martinelli surpassed Bryant McIntosh as the seventh-most prolific scorer in program history.
Gallery: (3-4-2026) Men's Basketball vs. Purdue
Martinelli turned in 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting in the second half as he attempted to will NU to a Senior Day result.
"I can't imagine anybody else in the league being able to carry a team the way he's carrying us," Collins said. "Not just with his scoring, with his leadership, his heart, his emotion, the way he's playing the big brother with the guys this year, I am just so proud of who he's becoming, the player he is and the man he is."
Junior guard Jayden Reid recorded 16 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting clip. He added four assists, a block and two steals.
Reid has posted double figures in back-to-back outings.
Junior guard Jordan Clayton posted eight points off the bench, knocking down three of his four attempts from the field. Clayton canned a go-ahead 3-pointer with 63 seconds remaining, beating the shot clock for his second triple of the game.
The 'Cats forced Purdue into 14 turnovers, tying the Boilermakers' highest turnover mark in conference play in 2025-26. NU threw the visitors off balance early, forcing eight first-half turnovers.
"The activity, the post traps, some of the things we were doing with the ball screen, I thought it was as connected as we've been defensively in a long time. I just gotta feel for our guys. [We] got the lead there late. Jordan hit a big shot… Our spirit is good. We're playing really hard. That's the best defense we've played in a while."
The Wildcats will close out regular season play at Minnesota on Saturday, March 7. Tipoff from Minneapolis is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.
"I was really proud of my team tonight," Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins said. "I didn't know how much we were going to have in the tank. We were a little banged up and had this old team coming in that's really good. You know what they're going to be about. I thought we fought for 40 minutes."
While the Wildcats (13-17, 5-14 Big Ten) held the Boilermakers (23-7, 13-6 Big Ten) to their lowest scoring half of the season (25) in the opening 20 minutes, the visitors seized control late to stave off a spirited upset effort.
Senior forward Nick Martinelli led all scorers with 28 points and dished out three assists. In his final collegiate home game, Martinelli surpassed Bryant McIntosh as the seventh-most prolific scorer in program history.
Martinelli turned in 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting in the second half as he attempted to will NU to a Senior Day result.
"I can't imagine anybody else in the league being able to carry a team the way he's carrying us," Collins said. "Not just with his scoring, with his leadership, his heart, his emotion, the way he's playing the big brother with the guys this year, I am just so proud of who he's becoming, the player he is and the man he is."
Junior guard Jayden Reid recorded 16 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting clip. He added four assists, a block and two steals.
Reid has posted double figures in back-to-back outings.
Junior guard Jordan Clayton posted eight points off the bench, knocking down three of his four attempts from the field. Clayton canned a go-ahead 3-pointer with 63 seconds remaining, beating the shot clock for his second triple of the game.
The 'Cats forced Purdue into 14 turnovers, tying the Boilermakers' highest turnover mark in conference play in 2025-26. NU threw the visitors off balance early, forcing eight first-half turnovers.
"The activity, the post traps, some of the things we were doing with the ball screen, I thought it was as connected as we've been defensively in a long time. I just gotta feel for our guys. [We] got the lead there late. Jordan hit a big shot… Our spirit is good. We're playing really hard. That's the best defense we've played in a while."
The Wildcats will close out regular season play at Minnesota on Saturday, March 7. Tipoff from Minneapolis is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.
Team Stats
Purdue
NU
FG%
.531
.511
3FG%
.375
.438
FT%
.818
.917
RB
29
15
TO
14
7
STL
2
7
Game Leaders
Pts
28
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
8
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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