Boo Buie scored a game-high 28 points to lead Northwestern to a 60-52 home win over Purdue Fort Wayne in Evanston, Ill., on Friday.
Buie went 9 of 18 from the field overall and 7 of 13 from 3-point range for Northwestern (4-0).
Bobby Planutis scored 14 points, Jarred Godfrey contributed 12 points and Ra Kpedi added 10 points for Purdue Fort Wayne (2-2).
Buie’s performance helped Northwestern overcome 17 turnovers and a 2-of-14 shooting performance from 3-point range by the rest of the team.
Purdue Fort Wayne shot 32.7 percent from the field overall (18 of 55) and 22.9 percent from 3-point range (8 of 35).
The Mastodons were also sloppy with the ball, committing 19 turnovers.
Northwestern held a 53-44 lead, but Purdue Fort Wayne answered with an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to 53-52 with 2:42 remaining following two free throws by Planutis.
However, Buie single-handedly stopped the run and sealed the win for the Wildcats, scoring seven straight to give Northwestern a 60-52 lead with 24 seconds left.
The Wildcats led 31-24 at halftime, and quickly grew that lead in the second half.
Northwestern opened up the second half with a 11-2 run to grab a 42-26 lead with 16:25 remaining.
Purdue Fort Wayne responded with a 10-4 run to cut Northwestern’s lead to 46-36 with 9:38 remaining, and then pulled to within 48-44 with 5:13 left after a 3-pointer by Planutis.
Northwestern quelled that run by scoring five straight to take a 53-44 lead with 4:22 left following a 3-pointer by Buie.
The game was close throughout the first half, with Northwestern up 23-22 with 4:57 remaining until halftime.
But Northwestern started to separate, closing the first half on an 8-2 surge to lead by seven at halftime.
–Field Level Media