In front of a rabid home crowd in a full-blackout look, Northwestern flipped the men's basketball world on its head with a 64-58 win over No. 1 Purdue on Sunday, making program history in the process.
The Wildcats were 0-18 all-time in games against AP No. 1 opponents and hadn't beaten the Boilermakers in nine years. Senior guard Boo Buie led all scorers with 26 points and put the finishing touches on the win by sinking crucial free throws down the stretch.
MORE: Final stats from Northwestern's win | Full scoreboard
Northwestern finished the game on a 12-1 run and drained five of its final seven shots, sparked by a Chase Audige steal and slam. He scored seven of his 15 points during this run. When Audige's three-pointer gave the Wildcats a two-point lead with 1:39 remaining, it was their first lead of the game since 2-0. It was just their fourth shot from deep to go in, but it came at a crucial point in the clash and made the possibility of an upset feel real.
Purdue seemed to get rattled and could not stop the late bleeding, turning the ball over four times in the last two minutes on the way to a second loss in three games. Zach Edey scored another 24 points but committed two of those four late turnovers. As the despair built on the Boilermakers' sideline, the anticipation of the final whistle grew among the crowd at a sold-out Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The clock struck triple zeros and the court was engulfed in mere seconds.
Ready. Set. Storm. 🙌@NUMensBball knocks off No. 1 Purdue for its first-ever win over a No. 1 team. pic.twitter.com/Ylb5uwxdqc
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 12, 2023
With two losses in just over a week, Purdue's lead in the Big Ten standings has dwindled to just two games over, coincidentally, the two teams that have beaten them during this stretch. They will meet Indiana one more time before the end of the regular season, while Northwestern plays the Hoosiers in its very next matchup on Wednesday.
