Chris Collins ejected in final seconds of overtime against Purdue

Northwestern took Purdue to overtime Wednesday night, but things didn’t go so well for the Wildcats in the extra period. The Boilermakers did just enough to create separation and looked like they were going to come away with the 100-96 victory.

As time ticked away, though, Chris Collins emphatically voiced his frustration with the officiating – and he was ejected with 1.7 seconds to play.

Collins walked out onto the court to share his displeasure with official Courtney Green, and he immediately received a technical foul and ejection. An assistant coach walked Collins off the court as he raised his arms at the Purdue fans in the stands cheering his departure. In addition, on his way to the locker room, Collins shook hands with Matt Painter and some Boilermakers players as part of a de facto “handshake line.”

At the buzzer Chris Collins is T'd up and ejected from the game and there is time back on the clock pic.twitter.com/eGqWsdAa8n

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 1, 2024

Mason Gillis then headed to the line to shoot the technical shots after the calls on Chris Collins and Boo Buie, making them all to extend the Purdue lead to 105-96, which held as the final score.

Northwestern was hoping lightning would strike twice after the ‘Cats upset then-No. 1 Purdue at Welsh-Ryan Arena earlier this month. It looked like they’d have a chance, taking a five-point lead with 2:38 left to play in the second half. But the Boilermakers – in front of a packed house at Mackey Arena – didn’t back down and kept things close down the stretch to force overtime.

Purdue then proceeded to outscore Northwestern 24-15 in the extra period to come away with the 105-96 victory. It was quite the night for the offenses as both teams shot better than 56% from the field. However, Purdue did quite a bit of damage from the free throw line, making 29 of 46 attempts from the stripe – including an 8-for-17 showing from Zach Edey, who led the charge with 30 points and 15 rebounds in 42 minutes of action. Lance Jones also added 26 points.

On the Northwestern side, Buie and Ty Berry led the Wildcats with 25 points apiece. Buie also added eight assists to help keep NU in the game, but it wasn’t enough.

With the victory, Purdue picked up its 20th win of the year to take a 20-2 overall record and a 9-2 mark in Big Ten play into Sunday’s key matchup against Wisconsin. As for Northwestern, the Wildcats dropped to 15-6 overall and 6-4 in conference action as they stay on the road for a trip to Minnesota on Saturday.