WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue's success at the free throw line Saturday was the difference in a 75-70 win over Northwestern at Mackey Arena.
The 24th ranked Boilermakers made 23 of 24 free throws, a 95% success rate, including eight of eight by Zach Edey.
Purdue looked like it might pull away from the Wildcats in the first half when the Boilermakers took a 13 point lead. But by halftime, Northwestern was down by just three.
The Wildcats kept it close in the second half until the Boilers went up by nine with about two minutes to play.
Freshman guard Jaden Ivey had his best game as a Boilermaker, leading the team with 20 points. The win is Purdue's sixth in eight games and improves the team's overall record to 13-7 and 8-5 in the Big Ten.
Northwestern has lost nine straight games, is 6-10 overall and 3-9 in the conference.
