Northwestern Wildcats and Purdue Boilermakers meet at United Center as Purdue controls the halves

Northwestern moved to 0-1 in Conference Tournaments play while the Purdue Boilermakers moved to 1-0 after an 81-68 result at 6:30 PM EDT.

First half

Northwestern opened with 21 first-half points while Purdue put up 45 in the opening half on a 49 field goal percent clip.

The Wildcats produced 22 assists in the game and finished the half with Purdue already showing 25 assists overall.

Purdue built a 26-point biggest lead in the game as Northwestern had 0 for its biggest lead.

The Boilers took control of the paint with 38 points in the paint while Northwestern managed 18 points in the paint.

Second half

Northwestern scored 47 after halftime while Purdue scored 36 after the break to close out the game at a neutral site.

The Wildcats shot 53 field goal percent and 43 three point percent while limiting turnovers to 9 as part of the game-changing plays Northwestern Wildcats vs Purdue Boilermakers.

Northwestern Wildcats post-match stats showed 13 fast break points and 9 second chance points, while Purdue answered with 17 second chance points and 11 points off turnovers.

Purdue won the rebounding battle 35-23, including 14 offensive rebounds that fueled the Northwestern Wildcats vs Purdue Boilermakers turning point.

Key performances

Nick Martinelli’s previous-game line featured 25 points on 62 field goal percent with 4 rebounds, and that scoring profile reflected Northwestern’s emphasis on 22 made two-pointers in this matchup.

Jayden Reid’s previous-game production of 19 points and 9 assists aligned with Northwestern’s 2.44 assist-to-turnover ratio in Chicago.

Jordan Clayton’s previous-game mark of 10 points on 57 field goal percent matched a Wildcats group that hit 6 threes and went 6-for-8 at the line for 75 free throw percent.

For Purdue, the Boilers converted 58 two point percent, hit 13 free throws, and posted a 4.17 assist-to-turnover ratio in this post-game report Northwestern Wildcats.

The Wildcats finished with 3 steals and 2 blocks while Purdue ended with 4 steals and 2 blocks, and the game aired on Big Ten Network as a national broadcast.

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