![\"NCAA](\"https:\/\/images.deadspin.com\/tr:w-900\/28476740.jpg\")
Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Jordan Clayton (11) defends Purdue Boilermakers center Oscar Cluff (45) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\nTrey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff each scored 19 points as it didn’t take long for No. 18 Purdue to end Northwestern’s dreams of a Cinderella run with an 81-68 win in the Big Ten Conference tournament on Thursday in Chicago. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n Fletcher Loyer added 14 points and Cluff pulled down 10 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Boilermakers (24-8), who might have limped into the postseason with a 2-4 mark in their last six games, but overwhelmed the 15th-seeded Wildcats (15-19) with a bruising inside game. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n Braden Smith scored five points but set a new Big Ten tournament single-game record with 16 assists. Purdue hammered Northwestern inside as it held a 38-18 advantage on points in the paint. The Boilermakers advanced to a quarterfinal showdown Friday with second-seeded Nebraska. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n Nick Martinelli scored a game-high 25 points, Jayden Reid contributed 19 points and nine assists and Jordan Clayton chipped in 10 points for the Wildcats. Northwestern shot 42.9% (6 of 14) from three-point range despite not registering their first trey until the second half. The Boilermakers shot 34.8% (8 of 23) from behind the arc.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n <\/p>\n Purdue never trailed and scored eight of their first 11 points in the paint. The Boilermakers dominated the first half and headed into the locker room with a 24 point lead at 45-21. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n A potent inside game gradually opened up space for the Boilermakers’ from three-point distance. Smith nailed a three in transition from the top of the key and moments later, Loyer hit a corner trey for a 19-9 Purdue lead. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n But the next two Boilermakers’ buckets came inside for Kaufman-Renn as the Purdue lead stretched to 23-11 courtesy of a 12-4 scoring surge.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n When Smith hit Harris in the corner for a three as part of a 10-0 rally – that also featured Kaufman-Renn and Cluff layups and an Omer Mayer trey – the Boilermakers surged to a 33-13 lead.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Martinelli’s three-point play with 16:02 remaining allowed the Wildcats to creep within 52-33. Back-to-back threes from Reid and Clayton highlighted a 16-5 Northwestern run that trimmed Purdue’s lead to 71-57 with 7:00 to play.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n