Purdue Controls Wildcats to Advance to Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals

No. 7 seed Purdue came out firing and never looked back, clinching a statement 81-68 win over No. 15 seed Northwestern to punch its ticket to the quarterfinals of the TIAA Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament. The Boilermakers stormed to an ultimately insurmountable 45-21 lead at halftime and controlled the game with a 38-18 edge in paint points.

The biggest story of the night was point guard Braden Smith, who finished with a Big Ten Tournament single-game record 16 assists, vaulting him to second all-time in NCAA history with 1,045 career assists and giving him the conference tournament career assists record (66). Now, Smith sits just 31 helpers short of Bobby Hurley’s legendary NCAA record of 1,076 set from 1990-93 at Duke. He also

Oscar Cluff powered the inside with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Trey Kaufman-Renn matched him with 19 points. Northwestern fought back, cutting the deficit down to 14 in the second half. Nick Martinelli starred with a game-high 25 points and Jayden Reid chipped in 19, but Purdue’s 35-23 advantage on the boards and unselfish play carried them into the next round.

No. 7 seed Purdue advances to take on No. 2 seed Nebraska in the quarterfinals at 5:30 p.m. CT tomorrow on Big Ten Network. The Boilermakers outlasted the Huskers in a tough, 80-77 overtime thriller in Lincoln last month. Oscar Cluff scored the eventual game-winner with 5.9 seconds left in OT. We'll see how Nebraska attacks tomorrow. Want to see the rematch in person in Chicago?  Click here .

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First Half: It's all coming up Boilers

• Oscar Cluff scores the game's first five points for Purdue before the 'Cats counter. Nick Martinelli gets four on the board quickly, but the Boilers lead 11-6 at the first media timeout (15:59).
• Fletcher Loyer drains a three (his seventh point already) to extend the Boilers' lead to 10. 19-9 with 12:22 on the clock.
• Martinelli and Trey Kaufman-Renn trade baskets, but it's still a double-digit Purdue lead, 25-13.
• Back-to-back triples from Omer Mayer and Gicarri Harris build the Boilers' advantage to 18 at the media timeout (7:35)!
• Notable: Braden Smith has six assists just 12.5 minutes into the game.
• Purdue grows its lead to a game-high 23 points with 5:47 remaining in the half.
• The Boilers end the period on a 6-0 run to take a 45-21 edge into the break.

Second Half: Holding the line

• Kaufman-Renn nets a couple free throws to extend Purdue's lead to 26.
• Northwestern goes on a quick 6-0 run to make it 47-27.
• With Braden Smith's 10th assist of the game, he is officially second on the NCAA's DI all-time career assists list!
• With a three-point play, Martinelli has eight of Northwestern's 12 second-half points so far and 18 of 33 on the day (15:35).
• Scoring from four different Boilers keep their edge at 23, despite points from Jayden Ried, Tyler Kropp, and Martinelli.
• Threes from Jordan Clayton and Reid bring Northwestern's deficit down to 14 with 5:57 remaining.
• The Boilers stand tall the rest of the way and advance to the quarterfinals with an 81-68 victory!
• Notable: Braden Smith finishes the game with 16 assists, setting the record for most assists in a single Big Ten Tournament game.
• Key Contributors (PUR): Oscar Cluff (19 points, 10 rebounds), Trey Kaufman-Renn (19 points), Fletcher Loyer (14 points)
• Key Contributors (NU): Nick Martinelli (25 points), Jayden Reid (19 points).

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