Purdue Downs Irish

Purdue 88, Notre Dame 78 (Postgame Notes) 

• Purdue improved to 6-2 overall with an 88-78 win over Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic. The win was Purdue’s third straight victory.
• Purdue improved to 16-2 against in-state opponents since the start of the 2016-17 season.
• The Boilermakers improved to 3-7 overall in the Crossroads Classic, but is 3-2 in the last five events, the second-best record over the last five years behind Indiana (4-1); Butler is 2-3 in the event and Notre Dame is 1-4 over the last five years.
• Purdue’s 88 points were the most for the Boilermakers in the 10-year history of the event, and tied for the second-most ever by any team.
• Purdue’s 14 3-pointers are the second most in the history of the event, behind only the 16 that Notre Dame made today.
• Purdue’s junior class scored 52 points today and over the last three games, is averaging 54.3 points per game during that span, all Purdue victories.
• Purdue is now 130-13 under Painter when having fewer turnovers and outrebounding its opponent, having won 11 straight games.
• Purdue improved to 33-7 in the month of December since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Purdue improved to 45-1 since the start of the 2017-18 season when shooting better than 48.0 percent from the field.
• When Eric Hunter Jr., leads the team in assists during his career, Purdue is 12-3.
• Purdue’s six turnovers were a season low and its fewest since having six against Illinois on Jan. 5, 2020 (last season) – a span of 24 games.
• Purdue has had at least 20 assists in four of eight games this year, after having 20 against the Irish.
• Purdue’s power forwards of Mason Gillis and Aaron Wheeler combined for 14 points, 16 rebounds and three assists.
• Eric Hunter set a new career high with eight assists to go along with 18 points and five rebounds, while having no turnovers. He is just the third player nationally to reach those marks in a single game with no turnovers (Ohio’s Jason Preston; Bowling Green’s Justin Turner).
• Sasha Stefanovic scored 18 points with five 3-pointers. The five 3-pointers are tied for the second most in Crossroads Classic history.
• Mason Gillis recorded career highs in points (12) and rebounds (9) while going 4-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. He has made 10 consecutive field goal attempts, spanning four games.