LDN - Sports

Swanigan leads No. 23 Purdue past No. 25 Northwestern

[February 02, 2017] WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- When playing No. 23 Purdue, an opponent has a difficult decision to make.

Bring help to double-team big men Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas and leave the 3-point shooters open, or play Swanigan and Haas one-on-one and hound the shooters.

Nothing No. 25 Northwestern tried Wednesday night in Mackey Arena worked, and the Boilermakers coasted to an 80-59 victory.

Swanigan had 24 points and 16 rebounds, while Vince Edwards made 5 of 7 shots from 3-point range and scored 17 points.

"They came at us early with good, quick doubles, and then we adjusted," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "Vince Edwards made shots that opened things up. Vince's guy was leaving him to go double."

Northwestern (18-5, 7-3 Big Ten), which had a six-game winning streak snapped, played without leading scorer Scottie Lindsey (15.4 points per game), who did not travel with the team because of an illness.

Swanigan had his 13th double-double in his past 14 games before fouling out with 1:26 remaining. Dakota Mathias scored 13, and Haas added 11 on a night when the Boilermakers (18-5, 7-3) made 12 of 23 attempts from 3-point range (52.2 percent) against what had been the Big Ten's best 3-point shooting defensive team (30.7 percent).

"With our personnel, you have to adjust," Mathias said of the inside-outside balance. "I think that maybe we are a different matchup than what (Northwestern) had faced."

Bryant McIntosh, a Greensburg, Ind., native, led Northwestern with 22 points.

Swanigan scored back-to-back field goals to begin the second half and give the Boilermakers a 49-23 lead.

"Purdue was really good," Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. "They are a tough team to guard, and their 3-point shooting was the story of the game. When you play them, you have to make defensive decisions. Those 3s by Edwards were huge, even a couple of the contested ones that he made. And obviously, we are a better team with Lindsey."

Purdue used a 12-0 run -- four consecutive 3-pointers including two from Edwards -- to erase a 10-9 deficit and seize a 21-10 lead with 11:14 remaining in the half.

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Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) shoots the ball over Northwestern Wildcats center Barret Benson (25) in the second half at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers won 80-59. Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports

"Tonight, I was just being confident and having fun," Edwards said. "I was in the zone. When I made my fourth 3-pointer in a row, I could do no wrong."

The Boilermakers shot 60.9 percent from the field, including 9 of 14 from beyond the arc in the first half. Purdue also outrebounded the Wildcats 19-10 during the first 20 minutes.

Edwards and Swanigan each had 12 first-half points, and Mathias scored 10.

Northwestern got eight first-half points from McIntosh but shot only 32 percent from the field, including 0 of 4 from 3-point range.

NOTES: This meeting marked the first time in the 172-game series that Purdue and Northwestern were ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 poll when playing each other. ... The Boilermakers are 28-7 as a Top 25 team when facing the Wildcats. ... Northwestern's 18-4 start was the program's best through 22 games in school history. ... Before playing at Purdue, Northwestern had four Big Ten road victories, the most since the 1958-59 team won five. ... Northwestern entered the game with three of the Big Ten's top 20 scorers -- No. 7 Scottie Lindsey (15.4), No. 12 Vic Law (14.0) and No. 20 Bryant McIntosh (12.8) ... Purdue has made 52 of its last 103 attempts from 3-point range.

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