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This game wrap is sponsored by our friends at Section 103. They just launched their new Purdue collection in time for March Madness. They’ve got high quality shirts and hats with some different designs you won’t see elsewhere. I’m thinking especially about the Mackey Arena shirt and the World’s Largest Drum shirt. They’ll also be giving fans the chance to vote on their next piece of gear. Check them out and use code HAMMERANDRAILS to get 10% off your first order. Thanks to Section 103, a founder-led company, for their support.
CJ Cox pulled Purdue from the depths of a third straight loss with a five three-pointer second half on his way to a career-high 27 points in Purdue’s come from behind 70-66 win at Welsh-Ryan.
Purdue, fresh off a disappointing loss to Ohio State on the road, looked in jeopardy of dropping a second straight road game to 5 Big Ten wins Northwestern in a Welsh-Ryan Arena with a habit of storming higher-ranked Purdue teams.
Purdue, after rising as high as #1 in the country, and being national title favorites, have slipped over the last month of play. Purdue has gone 5-6 in its last 11 games, and couldn’t afford to drop another to a Northwestern team that is fighting for Big Ten Tournament seeding.
For Purdue, sloppy play and a disconnected defense continued to plague a team threatening to slip out of the top-20 and down the NCAA seed line.
Purdue went into the half trailing 34-25 after turning the ball over 8 times.
Inspired play by CJ Cox kept Purdue in it. He hit two early threes in the corner and then had an offensive rebound and put back to tie up midway through the second half.
Around him, Purdue’s three four-year starters who had lost twice in this building already, struggled to get their shot to fall.
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith combined to go 10 for 23 from the floor and 2-9 from three between Smith and Loyer.
But Cox would hit his fourth three-pointer of the half to give Purdue a 60-57 lead on a possession that looked to be going nowhere as Fletcher Loyer started to fall on a drive left. Loyer got the ball out late to Cox who was able to beat the shot clock and give Purdue a 60-57 lead with under four to play.
A live ball turnover by Braden Smith would allow Northwestern a free lay up to recapture the lead 66-65 with a little over a minute to play before Northwestern lost CJ Cox in the far corner again.
The three, Cox’s fifth of the game and half, would give Purdue a 68-66 lead with under a minute to play.
Cox would then help force a tunover after a Loyer missed three and Smith would seal the game with two free throws to push Purdue’s lead to 70-66 with ten seconds to play.