Braden Smith leads No. 20 Purdue to 79-61 rout of Northwestern

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Braden Smith had 22 points and seven assists to lead No. 20 Purdue to a 79-61 rout of Northwestern on Sunday.

Smith, who scored 17 of his points in the first half, hit 8 of 16 shots for the Boilermakers (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten). Trey Kaufman-Renn and C.J. Cox each scored 12 points for Purdue.

Angelo Ciaravino led the Wildcats (10-5, 1-3) with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Brooks Barnhizer, who graduated from nearby Lafayette Jefferson High School, and Jalen Leach each had 11 points. Barnhizer, who was averaging 20.1 points entering the game, struggled from the field, making 4 of 15 shots.

The Boilermakers led by as many as 29 points at 63-34 with 11:21 left in the second half. They scored the first seven points and never trailed.

The Boilermakers shot 59% in the first half while holding Northwestern to 25%.

Braden Smith leads No. 20 Purdue to 79-61 rout of Northwestern | iNFOnews.ca — Purdue guard Braden Smith (3) brings the ball upcourt in front of Northwestern guard Angelo Ciaravino (44) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Takeaways

Northwestern: Ciaravino was a bright spot as he was averaging just 3.3 points prior to the game. Nick Martinelli, who averaged 20.1 points entering the game, had 10 points on 2-of-8 shooting.

Purdue: The Boilermakers continue to dominate at home, winning a 25th consecutive home game. Purdue has now won three in a row after a stretch where it lost three of four games.

Key moment

Myles Colvin sank a 3-pointer to give Purdue a 25-14 lead to fire up the crowd. Colvin, who had been mired in a shooting slump, was 1 of 16 from 3-point range in the previous five games. Colvin added a second 3-pointer in the second half, finishing with seven points.

Key stat

Purdue held the Wildcats to 38% from the field, including 28% from 3-point range. In contrast, Purdue shot 51% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.

Up next

Northwestern plays host to Michigan State on Jan. 12 while Purdue is at Rutgers on Thursday.