#23 Purdue Overcomes Slow Start to Bounce Northwestern 71-56

Another Big Ten game, another win for the Purdue Boilermakers (ranked #23 in ESPN/USA Today coaches poll). Purdue improved to 21-5 overall, and a conference leading 12-1 in the Big Ten. After playing from behind much of the 1st half to the lowly Northwestern Wildcats, Purdue turned on the Boilers in the 2nd half en route to a 71-56 victory.

Anchored by the 28 points by freshman guard E'Twaun Moore, Purdue used tough perimeter defense and hot shooting from the field (57.8%) to overcome the pesky 'Cats. Employing their customary 2-2-1 full court zone trap, Northwestern led for much of the 1st half before Purdue closed the period with an 8-2 run.

The Boilers lit up the court in the 2nd half, hitting shots from all over and exploiting the slower and smaller Wildcats. With the game knotted up at 50-50 with 9:09, Purdue went on a 17-2 run to take control of the game for good, and pulling the plug on any hopes of an upset by the Wildcats, who sank to 0-11 in Big Ten play this year, and 7-16 overall.

In Purdue's next contest on Tuesday, they will face Indiana (ranked #12) and troubled coach Kelvin Sampson, in a Big Ten showdown that will likely determine who wins the Big Ten conference this year.