Purdue Boilers Snap Skid, Beat Northwestern

0:00On March 5, Purdue men's basketball snapped a tough skid with a close 70-66 win over Northwestern on Wednesday night. The Boilermakers had dropped three of their last four games, including a weekend upset to Ohio State, but they rallied strong in the second half, too. Secure the victory and improve to 23-7 overall. Coming into the match-up, Purdue sat at 5th in the Big Ten with a 13-6 conference mark. They struggled early with eight turnovers in the first half alone, but tightened up on defense and found their shooting touch after the break to pull ahead. Coach Matt Painter lauded his team's resilience after the game, highlighting their rebounding and key plays down the stretch. Sophomore CJ Cox led the way, with 27 points, three rebounds, and three assists, all without a single turnover, stepping up big when the P. Defense focused elsewhere. Trey Kaufman-Rin owned up to a rough first half with turnovers and fouls, but the squad as a whole hung tough against Northwestern standout Nick.

1:04Martinelli, who finished with 28 points. This win keeps Purdue in solid position, heading into their regular season finale at home against Wisconsin on Saturday, setting them up nicely for the postseason push.