PURDUE 87, NORTHWESTERN 77: Robbie Hummel scored a season-high 27 points and D.J. Byrd tallied 18 of his 20 points in the second half to lead Purdue to a crucial 87-77 Big Ten Conference win over Northwestern.

The win gave Purdue (16-9, 6-6 Big Ten) sole possession of sixth place in the Big Ten and a pivotal season sweep over Northwestern (15-9, 5-7 Big Ten) as both are considered NCAA Tournament bubble teams.

Terone Johnson hit a 3-pointer for Purdue with 6:24 remaining to break a tie at 57 and ignite a decisive 8-1 run that gave the Boilermakers a 65-58 lead, one they would not surrender. Purdue had five players in double figures, including Ryne Smith with 14, Johnson with 11 off the bench, and Kelsey Barlow added 10.

John Shurna, the conference's leading scorer, had 23 of his game-high 30 points in the second half, but it was not enough as Northwestern saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. Reggie Hearn added 16 for the Wildcats and Drew Crawford chipped in 14 before being ejected with 1:25 remaining after picking up his second technical foul of the game for slamming the ball to the floor after a foul call.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Purdue's Barlow and Northwestern's Crawford were both hit with technical fouls after a skirmish late in the first half. The game was delayed five minutes to sort out the situation. Northwestern was looking for its first four-game Big Ten winning streak since 1967. Purdue, the worst free throw shooting team in the Big Ten, made 73 percent (24-33) to hold off Northwestern.