Braden Smith collects 16 more assists as No. 18 Purdue beats Northwestern 81-68 in Big Ten tourney

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Purdue center Oscar Cluff (45) shoots as Northwestern guard Jordan Clayton (11) and guard Justin Mullins (20) defend during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the third round of the Big 10 Conference tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Purdue forward Raleigh Burgess, right, celebrates with guard Omer Mayer after he scored a 3-point basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Northwestern in the third round of the Big 10 Conference tournament, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) — Purdue center Oscar Cluff (45) shoots as Northwestern guard Jordan Clayton (11) and guard Justin Mullins (20) defend during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the third round of the Big 10 Conference tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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5:42 PM on Thursday, March 12

By JAY COHEN

CHICAGO (AP) — Braden Smith had 16 assists to climb into second on the NCAA career list, and No. 18 Purdue outmuscled Northwestern for an 81-68 victory on Thursday that moved the Boilermakers into the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff each scored 19 points for Purdue (24-8), and Cluff also grabbed 10 rebounds. The Boilermakers outrebounded the Wildcats 35-23 and enjoyed a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint.

Smith is up to 1,045 assists in 142 career games, passing Ed Cota (1,030) and Chris Corchiani (1,038) with another smooth performance for the Boilermakers. Bobby Hurley is No. 1 with 1,076 assists in 140 games for Duke from 1989-93.

Next up for Purdue is No. 11 Nebraska on Friday. The second-seeded Cornhuskers had a bye through the first three rounds.

Nick Martinelli had 25 points for Northwestern (15-19), which advanced with wins over Penn State and Indiana on the first two days of the tournament. Jayden Reid finished with 19 points and nine assists.

Northwestern played without Arrinten Page, a 6-foot-11 forward who missed his fourth consecutive game because of an illness. And the Wildcats definitely missed the junior's size and physicality as the Boilermakers dominated inside.

Purdue went on a 15-3 run to open a 38-15 lead with 5:47 left in the first half. Kaufman-Renn started the decisive stretch with a jumper in the paint, and Omer Mayer capped the surge with a fast-break layup off a Northwestern turnover.

Another Kaufman-Renn basket helped Purdue to a 45-21 advantage at the break. The Boilermakers outscored the Wildcats 22-6 in the paint in the first half.

It was a much better start for Purdue than the one it had in the regular-season meeting between the schools. Purdue trailed 34-25 at halftime before rallying for a 70-66 victory at Northwestern on March 4.

Up next

Purdue topped Nebraska 80-77 in overtime in their only meeting of the season on Feb. 10. Kaufman-Renn grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds in the victory, helping the Boilermakers to a 54-37 advantage on the glass.

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