Sasha Stefanovic scored 14 points and Purdue pulled away for a 58-44 win over visiting Northwestern in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams Sunday evening in West Lafayette, Ind.

Matt Haarms finished with 12 points, Jahaad Proctor had 10 points, and Eric Hunter Jr. and Trevion Williams each finished with eight points and seven rebounds. Purdue (6-3, 1-0 Big Ten) won for the fifth time in six games.

Pete Nance scored 14 points to lead the Wildcats, who also received nine points from Miller Kopp and seven from Robbie Beran. Northwestern (4-4, 0-1) split its two-game road trip after winning at Boston College on Tuesday.

A pair of quick buckets helped the Boilermakers push their lead to 11 points early in the second half. Williams made a jump shot in the opening minute, and Stefanovic followed 30 seconds later with a 3-pointer.

A 6-0 run by Northwestern cut its deficit to 29-24 with 14:09 to go. Kopp, Nance and Boo Buie scored during the run, but the Wildcats could not keep it going as Purdue re-established a double-digit lead with 9:33 left.

Purdue held on to a comfortable lead the rest of the way, extending it to a game-high 16 points in the final minute.

Purdue led 22-16 at the half.

The Wildcats seemed poised for a fast start after Nance drained two 3-pointers in the first 96 seconds of action. But a 6-2 lead slipped to an 11-6 deficit after the Boilermakers answered with nine straight points.

Williams started the run with a jump shot that was made possible by Haarms' assist. Proctor followed with a jump shot, Haarms made a layup and Proctor drilled a 3-pointer to finish off the scoring binge.

Northwestern climbed back on top 14-13 when A.J. Turner knocked down a 3-pointer with 7:44 to go in the half. However, Purdue responded with a 9-2 run before the break to establish a six-point lead.

Purdue shot 39 percent (23 of 59) from the field and 22.7 percent (5 of 22) from beyond the arc.

Northwestern shot 34 percent (18 of 53) from the field and 29.4 percent (5 of 17) from distance.

--Field Level Media