WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Looking to send scintillating shockwaves across the nation, Northwestern traveled to No. 2 Purdue Wednesday in search of its third consecutive victory against the hosts.
The Wildcats took the past two contests in Evanston and hoped the venue change didn’t scathe their upset effort.
From the tip, NU struggled offensively, while the Boilermakers scored the opening five points.
Senior guard Ty Berry’s 3-pointer opened the scoring for the visitors. After the ‘Cats faced a 9-3 deficit, Berry’s pair of makes from beyond the arc trimmed NU’s deficit to two points midway through the first frame.
As both offenses exchanged baskets, junior guard Brooks Barnhizer’s driving layup gave NU its first lead of the evening. Minutes later, graduate student guard Boo Buie capped a 10-3 ‘Cats scoring run and gave the visitors a 23-19 advantage.
Facing their first deficit, the Boilermakers countered with a 19-4 scoring run, causing NU to face an 11 point deficit.
With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Buie poured in a pullup trey to help the ‘Cats respond with a 7-0 run of their own, but NU entered the intermission down 47-39.
Out of the locker room, the ‘Cats scored the first five points of the second frame. Minutes later, Barnhizer’s steal and layup capped a 9-3 NU run to reclaim the visiting lead.
Both teams exchanged one-point leads in the ensuing minutes. Senior center Matthew Nicholson’s dunk and Berry’s step back three extended the ‘Cats lead to three points with seven minutes to play.
Buie’s off-balanced 3-pointer and Barnhizer’s layup extended NU’s lead to five with less than three minutes remaining. With the teams knotted at 81, Buie missed a potential game-winning shot, sending the game to overtime.
Failing to contain Boilermaker center Zach Edey during the extra period, the ‘Cats suffered a heartbreaking road defeat.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s overtime loss to Purdue.
1. Berry’s initial scoring burst lifts ‘Cats offensively
After eclipsing double figures in a third consecutive game Saturday, Berry picked up right where he left off against the Boilermakers.
The senior guard helped NU tick the scoreboard as the Boilermakers went on initial scoring runs. Canning a pair of 3-pointers, Berry tallied the ‘Cats first six points.
Shooting at a 4-of-5 clip from beyond the arc, Berry’s 14 points led all first-half scorers
Over the second frame, Berry continued to stay hot from deep, nailing a pair of threes. By the end of the contest, the senior guard shot 6-of-9 from deep and recorded 25 points.
2. First half foul trouble plagues ‘Cats
As the ‘Cats attempted to claw back from a double digit deficit, they quickly struggled with foul trouble.
Matching up against the reigning national player of the year, NU struggled to rebound without committing fouls against the Boilermaker center. As a result, the visitors committed eleven first half fouls, allowing for Purdue to attempt 13 shots from the charity stripe.
With Nicholson committing two first half fouls and limited to a mere eight minutes during the first frame, Collins slotted in graduate student forward Blake Preston, sophomore forward Luke Hunger and sophomore forward Nick Martinelli to match up against Purdue’s frontcourt.
3. Buie’s offensive prowess keeps NU within striking distance
After Berry’s initial scoring burst, Buie picked up the scoring slack to keep NU within striking distance over the first frame’s final minutes.
The graduate student guard canned eight points in the final four minutes of the first half, trading blows with the Boilermakers offense as the ‘Cats deficit increased. By the intermission, Buie tallied 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from deep.
Out of the locker room, NU’s All-Big Ten playmaker continued to lead the offense. Canning a pair of 3-pointers, Buie reclaimed the lead for the visitors midway through the second frame.
By the end of regulation, Buie had tallied a team-high 25 points, shooting at an unconscious 7-of-10 clip beyond the arc.
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