Turnovers lead to late-game collapse as top-ranked Purdue falls at Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. – Purdue was set to close out Sunday’s game against Northwestern, holding an eight-point lead with 3:52 to play.

However, the recent problems of turnovers cost the top-ranked Boilermakers a chance to maintain their distance in the race for the Big Ten championship.

The Wildcats scored nine straight points, which was part of a 17-3 run, to upset Purdue 64-58 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. It was Northwestern’s first victory over a No. 1 team in program history.

The Boilermakers hold a two-game lead in the loss column over Northwestern and Indiana in the conference standings.

Zach Edey was set to carry the Boilermakers to the finish line, scoring 14 of his team’s first 18 points after halftime. But it all unraveled in the final three minutes as Purdue lost for the second time in the last three games.

“You put yourself in those situations and now things can go either way,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “They went our way for the most part this year. We allowed it to get into that situation and we had to play better. When you play better, you take everything out of it – the other team, the refs, you take everything out of it. When you don’t, now the margin for error is a little different.”  

Edey finished with 24 points but 13 second-half turnovers played a big role in the loss. Those turnovers led to 18 points in the second half and 22 overall for the Wildcats.

“I felt like Purdue beat Purdue right there. I didn’t feel like they beat us; we beat ourselves,” freshman guard Braden Smith said.

While Purdue was in control through the first 35 minutes, it didn’t finish. It didn’t adjust to the Wildcats, the surroundings, or anything else down the stretch, losing a winnable game and making the conference race more interesting.

“We didn’t adjust and we weren’t very tough, both mentally and physically,” Painter said.

Chase Audige scored all 15 of his points in the second half to lead the comeback. Boo Buie led the Wildcats with 26 points.

PDF: Purdue-Northwestern statistics | Stat Blast

‘SHOW MORE POISE AND TOUGHNESS’

As the final three minutes unraveled for the Boilermakers, the lack of discipline and attention to detail fueled the comeback.

Five turnovers in the last 3:12. Northwestern scored seven points off those turnovers.

The snowball was running downhill, out of control and Purdue was unable to stop it.

“Just got to show more poise and toughness than what we did,” Painter said.

The lesson?

“Don’t turn the ball over,” Smith said.

The turnovers were the storyline once again.

Purdue finished with 16, the third-straight game it’s reached that number. Indiana, Iowa and Northwestern have scored 56 points off those turnovers as the mistakes are coming in bunches.

“I think they’re unforced,” Smith said. “They didn’t stop me. They didn’t do anything.”

Outside of Edey, the Boilermakers struggled shooting in the second half. Everyone not named Edey was a combined 1 of 14 from the field. Purdue also missed its last 13 attempts from 3-point range after taking a 10-point lead in the first half.

“We had to get quality shots down the stretch more than anything,” Painter said. “Who cares how you got into that position. You’ve got to give yourself a chance. You’ve got to be able to get good shots right there.”

DEALING WITH DOUBLE TEAMS

Edey was clearly frustrated again, forced to deal with more physical play. The Wildcats were quick to bring double teams and get the ball out of his hands.

“There are some things I shouldn’t say in the media,” said Edey, who was 7 of 10 shooting, and 10 of 13 from the line but had six turnovers. “They play very physical, and they play really hard.”

Purdue started out hot from 3-point range but once those shots dried up, Edey was the one-man scoring show in the second half. The Boilermakers and Edey have seen their share of double teams this season and that won’t change.

“They locked into him and jammed into him,” Painter said. “If they can get there quick, you stop him from turning his shoulder. If you don’t, he can open up and see a lot more. It helps if you come quick with guys that are bigger, like Robbie Beran helps them in that double and (Brooks) Barnhizer is quicker but he’s not bigger. He’s the one that forced a couple of those.”

Edey dumped the ball off to a teammate diving toward the basket but it didn’t always lead to points.

“We’ve got to be able to finish it,” Painter said.

LACK OF DOMINANCE ON THE BOARDS

Although Purdue won the rebounding battle, it was only by five.

That’s a long way from a plus-36 margin in the last two games.

“For us, the way we’ve rebounded the basketball, it’s not the advantage we’ve been getting,” Painter said. “If you get in that area, you’re going to get a lot more possessions.”

The key rebound – an offensive board by Buie – led to a 3-pointer by Audige to bring the Wildcats within 55-50.

It ignited the end-of-the-game surge.

“That was huge,” Painter said. “Didn’t get a good box out. We’ve got to secure that right there. That was a big play in the game. You’ve got to do a better job rebounding.”