Sasha Stefanovic leads No. 4 Purdue past Northwestern

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Sasha Stefanovic's early 3-point flurry helped No. 4 Purdue regain its footing Sunday.

The Boilermakers took the cue and finished strong.

Stefanovic made a season-high six 3s on his way to 22 points, and Purdue beat Northwestern 80-60 while playing without Jaden Ivey.

"You take away your leading scorer and there's going to be more opportunities to get shots," Stefanovic said. "Luckily, I was able to make some early and get going and then these guys got going, too."

With Ivey sidelined by an injured hip flexor, Stefanovic stepped up. But he had plenty of help.

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Purdue guard Sasha Stefanovic (55) shoots while playing Northwestern in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022. Purdue won 80-60. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Trevion Williams and Zach Edey each finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Eric Hunter Jr. added 10 points as coach Matt Painter tied Ward "Piggy" Lambert for second on the school's career victories list with his 371st win at his alma mater. Painter and Lambert also are fifth in Big Ten history.

Purdue (16-3, 5-3) has won 10 straight in the series, bouncing back nicely after losing at Indiana on Thursday.

The Wildcats were led by Boo Buie with 17 points. Pete Nance and Robbie Beran each scored nine for Northwestern (9-8, 2-6), which has lost six of seven and has never won a road game against a top-five opponent.

"You kind of feel if you hold the two big guys to 24 points, you've got a chance," coach Chris Collins said, referring to Edey and Williams. "But they still got to 80 points because of what the other guys did."

Stefanovic