C.J. Cox's career night carries No. 15 Purdue past Northwestern

Field Level Media|published: Wed 4th March, 23:12 2026

Mar 4, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) defends Purdue Boilermakers guard C.J. Cox (0) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

C.J. Cox scored 21 of his career-high 27 points after halftime and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 11 points and 10 rebounds to boost No. 15 Purdue to a 70-66 victory against host Northwestern on Wednesday in Evanston, Ill.

Purdue (23-7, 13-6 Big Ten) stopped a two-game skid while snapping a three-game winning streak for Northwestern (13-17, 5-14).

After Jordan Clayton drilled a corner 3-pointer to put the Wildcats ahead 66-65 with 1:03 remaining, the Boilermakers took the lead for good with a Cox trey on the ensuing possession.

Purdue sealed the game from the free-throw line while capitalizing on two critical Wildcats turnovers in the last 36 seconds.

Wildcats senior Nick Martinelli, the conference's leading scorer, had 28 points in his final game at Welsh-Ryan Arena. But Cox had the hot hand for Purdue, finishing 10-for-13 from the floor, including 5-for-8 from long range.

Fletcher Loyer scored 10 points for the Boilermakers. Braden Smith had nine assists while Oscar Cluff contributed nine points and seven boards. Purdue outrebounded Northwestern 29-15.

Jayden Reid had 16 points for the Wildcats, who were without guard Jake West (ankle).

Fueled by a 6-for-6 start from the floor in the second half, the Boilermakers tied the game at 43 with 13:22 remaining. Cox capped a 9-0 run with a second-chance layup after the Boilermakers grabbed two offensive rebounds on the possession.

That set up a back-and-forth finish in a game that featured nine lead changes over the last 6:08. An Arrinten Page dunk off a Purdue turnover put Northwestern ahead by one with 1:57 to go before Smith made three free throws to give the Boilermakers the advantage again.

Northwestern forced eight turnovers and limited Purdue to 3-for-11 shooting from long range before the break to take a 34-25 advantage into halftime.

Reid and Martinelli paced the Wildcats with nine points each, with Martinelli contributing seven points over the last 2:06 of the half.

He hit a pair of free throws during a 13-0 Wildcats run midway through the half, but the reserves also shined during the spurt. Clayton had five points during the run.

Gicarri Harris connected on a 3 to stop a scoring drought of 5:47 for the Boilermakers.

--Field Level Media