Northwestern 40, Purdue 39

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Northwestern used a stingy matchup

zone defense and timely shooting down the stretch to earn their

second straight upset win, 40-39, over Purdue on Wednesday night.

Mohamed Hachad hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:55 left

that proved to be the game winner, and the Wildcats mobbed the

court after another improbable win.

Kenneth Lowe had a chance to give Purdue the lead with just

under 30 seconds to play, but his 3-pointer was off the mark.

The Boilermakers had one more chance to take the lead, but Jitim

Young stripped Brandon McKnight of the ball with time winding down

to hand the Boilermakers their second straight loss and third in

four games.

In a hard fought defensive contest, Evan Seacat scored nine

points to lead Northwestern (10-11, 5-5 Big Ten), which was coming

off a 69-51 thumping of then-No. 14 Wisconsin.

Northwestern coach Bill Carmody called his team's defensive

performance in the win over the Badgers their best of the season.

They were even better on Wednesday.

The Wildcats held Purdue (15-8, 5-5) to season lows in points

(39) and just 34 percent shooting, overcoming a brilliant

performance from Lowe.

Lowe returned after missing three games with a sprained left

elbow. The team's emotional and scoring leader played with a bulky

black brace on his arm, but still scored 20 points on 7-of-11

shooting.

He almost single-handedly brought Purdue back from a seven-point

deficit midway through the second half.

Northwestern took control with an 8-0 run to take a 32-25 lead

with 11:51 to play.

Lowe responded with a jumper, a driving layup and a 3-pointer

during a 9-0 run that gave the Boilermakers the lead with 5:44 to

play.

T.J. Parker answered with a 3-pointer and Young added a layup

before Hachad's big shot.

Purdue coach Gene Keady was hoping the return of their

unquestioned leader would give the Boilermakers an emotional spark

they'd sorely lacked with him on the bench.

It did just that, but it wasn't enough for Purdue, which was

frustrated and ineffective against Northwestern's complicated

defense.

The Boilermakers struggled to find shots all game. They shot

just 28 percent in the first half while Northwestern shot 41

percent, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range to take a 22-20 lead.