Rapid Recap: No. 16 Purdue 69, Northwestern 65

The Daily Northwestern Bryant McIntosh drives through traffic. The junior guard scored 25 points and handed out six assists in Northwestern's narrow loss to Purdue. Colin Boyle/Daily Senior StafferColin Boyle/Daily Senior StafferBryant McIntosh drives through traffic. The junior guard scored 25 points and handed out six assists in Northwestern's narrow loss to Purdue. Tim Balk, Managing EditorMarch 5, 2017

Riding a high after Wednesday’s crucial victory over Michigan, Northwestern gave Big Ten-leading No. 16 Purdue a run for its money Sunday, but ultimately fell short.
Though the Wildcats (21-10, 10-8 Big Ten) missed a chance at an upset in the 69-65 loss to the Boilermakers, (25-6, 14-4) they showed marked improvement from the last time the two teams met — a 21-point February win for Purdue.
NU came close, but couldn’t sweeten the Senior Day celebration of senior forwards Sanjay Lumpkin and Nathan Taphorn.
The Cats bolted out of the gate, taking an 18-12 lead early with an uncontested fastbreak slam from freshman center Barret Benson just under seven minutes into the half. When a block from Scottie Lindsey led to the junior guard draining a 3 at the other end, NU took a 9-point lead and a sold-out Welsh-Ryan Arena crowd exploded.
Purdue answered, using an 11-0 run that ended in a 3 from star forward Caleb Swanigan to take back the lead. Back-and-forth play prevailed for final minutes of the half, and the two teams entered the break with the scored tied at 37.
With an efficient offensive attack, Purdue controlled most of the second half and took a 9-point lead with seven minutes left in the contest on a Swanigan jam. NU responded in a major way: with a trio of baskets that left coach Chris Collins jumping up and down to rile up the crowd.
The Boilermakers maintained their lead in the final minutes with timely buckets, but a jumper from sophomore center Dererk ...


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