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DeutschNorthwestern falls 70-66 in heartbreaking fashion on Senior Night
On an emotional senior night, a crowd seemingly composed mostly of Northwestern students or Purdue alumni sold out Welsh-Ryan Arena for the ‘Cats’ last home game of the season. Northwestern (13-17, 5-14 BIG) gave 15th-ranked Purdue (23-7, 13-6) all they could handle but fell short in the last few possessions.
For NU, Nick Martinelli led the way with 28 points, and Jayden Reid also had a great game with 16.
For the Boilermakers, C.J. Cox finished with 27 points on 10-13 shooting overall and five triples. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 11 points and 10 rebounds and Fletcher Loyer had 10 points on 4-9 shooting from the floor.
With Jake West in street clothes due to an ankle injury, NU head coach Chris Collins added Justin Mullins to the Wildcats’ starting lineup along with Tre Singleton, Arrinten Page, Reid and Martinelli.
Despite Purdue’s immense frontcourt size, Page won the tip for the ‘Cats, and Reid knocked down a long-range two to get the scoring going. A Loyer layup on the other end immediately evened the score as, in large part due to a fiery and two-sided crowd, both teams came out with energy.
Yet that energy translated into nervousness for both teams, as after a series of turnovers by each squad, a Singleton midrange jumper and a layup by Purdue’s Oscar Cluff put the score at 4-4 with 16:43 remaining in the first half.
Coming out of the first timeout, Purdue’s Cox found himself open on the out-of-bounds play, netting an easy layup to break the tie. Yet, the response was quick, as a Jordan Clayton steal on one end led to an Angelo Ciaravino layup on the other.
Wildcat defense continued to provide opportunities for their offense, as Clayton knocked down the first three-pointer of the game off a Martinelli assist. Two Martinelli free throws later, his first points of the night, and Northwestern led 11-6 with 12:45 remaining.
The weather seemed to travel into Welsh-Ryan Arena as Clayton and Tyler Kropp rained down buckets of their own on the following possessions to put the ‘Cats up 15-6 and on an 11-0 run. Through the first eight minutes of the game, the ‘Cats forced five Boilermaker turnovers as Purdue seemed like a shell of itself.
Boilermaker point guard Braden Smith was unable to find his shot early as Reid dominated the point guard matchup, draining another long two to put the ‘Cats up 11. Purdue’s Gicarri Harris ended the 13-0 run with a three-pointer from the top of the arc, but a Page hook shot on the other end revitalized the NU crowd. Kaufman-Renn finally got on the board for the Boilermakers with a layup, but it was 19-11 with 7:53 remaining in the half.
Out of the timeout, Jack Benter swished another Purdue triple as its offense seemed to find its footing, but Page countered immediately with a long ball of his own. Another Kaufman-Renn layup tightened the margin to six as NU led 22-16 with 5:18 left in the half.
After a Reid layup, Martinelli made his most meaningful impact 15 minutes into the game as he drew a charge that gave Kaufman-Renn his second foul of the night and sent the crowd into a frenzy. However, the following lackluster Wildcat defense provided Loyer a wide-open three-pointer.
The next possession, Reid once again strolled down the court aggressively and knocked down a counterpunch three. Martinelli’s offense finally got going towards the end of the first as his first three-pointer of the night was sandwiched between a pair of Boilermaker layups, giving NU the 30-23 lead with 1:15 in the half.
After an NU timeout, Martinelli hooked in a layup and then knocked down two free throws, Northwestern up 34-25 going into half with dreams of a court storm floating through students’ heads.
At the half, Martinelli and Reid led the way for Northwestern with nine points apiece. Page and Clayton also chipped in with five points each. As a team, the ‘Cats were shooting 56.5% from the field and 50% from three. The defense was very strong, forcing nine turnovers and holding the Boilermakers to 44% shooting overall and 27.3% from distance.
A pair of Reid free throws extended the ‘Cats’ lead to ten coming out of the break but C.J. Cox extended his hot-shooting night by knocking down a three pointer from the wing. Martinelli broke into double digits on the other end, bullying the undersized Smith in the paint.
A Kaufman-Renn layup and Cox triple for Purdue inspired the loudest cheers of the night from Boilermaker fans as their team pulled within four. However, as he’s done his whole career, Martinelli played the role of silencer and his personal 5-0 run emblazoned the home crowd. A Loyer triple on the other end represented the response that Purdue desperately needed, and it was 43-37 ‘Cats with 15:32 to go.
The size of Purdue seemed to begin to wear down the ‘Cats as Kaufman-Renn and Cluff layups pulled the Boilermakers to within one possession. NU’s offense couldn’t get out of its own way, coughing the ball up whenever it felt any pressure, and a series of Purdue offensive rebounds resulted in a Cox layup to tie the game at 43.
Coach Collins calmed his team down via calling a timeout, and Reid immediately got back in the scoring column with a corner three to put the ‘Cats up 46-43 with 11:52 remaining in the game. After an extended official review, Smith scored his first points in response to a Martinelli dunk. Martinelli broke the 20-point threshold for the 22nd time this season via a circus-worthy hook shot but a Cluff layup kept the NU lead at two with under eight minutes left.
A pair of Purdue free throws and then a wide open Cluff dunk gave the Boilermakers a 52-51 lead, motivating half of the arena to rise to their feet. Reid, Kaufmann-Renn and Martinelli traded layups for the two teams before yet another Cox corner triple swished through the net to put the Boilermakers up 57-55 with 4:29 remaining.
A pair of Martinelli free throws tied the game, but Cox, Purdue’s savior of the night, made yet another heavily contested three point shot. Martinelli converted a floater from the paint on the other end but Cox responded with an elbow jumper, his 23rd and 24th points of the night which set and broke his career high. Martinelli then connected on both free throws of his one and one and Purdue up 62-61 with just over two remaining.
Northwestern’s defense then took the spotlight as its ball pressure on Smith forced an errant pass which resulted in an emphatic Page slam. A Boo Bouie cameo almost put the NU crowd over the top but overaggressiveness by the Wildcat defense gave Smith three free throws and Purdue the 65-63 lead with 1:33 remaining.
What seemed to be a discombobulated offensive possession coming out of the timeout turned out to be a stroke of genius by Coach Collins as Clayton nailed a fall-away three point shot with less than a second on the shot clock to give NU the 66-65 lead with 1:03 left in the game.
However, a defensive lapse by the ‘Cats left Cox, who’s hands might have been on fire, wide open in the corner for Purdue who didn’t hesitate and knocked down his fifth three of the night. An NU turnover on the other end gave the Boilermakers control of the game, yet Loyer shot and missed a three pointer with 18 seconds on the clock, giving the ‘Cats the ball back…or so one thought. Reid stepped out of bounds while tracking down the loose ball and the ‘Cats were forced to foul. Smith calmly converted both free throws of the one-and-one, putting Purdue up four with 13 seconds left.
Martinelli’s three fell short in the final seconds and the final horn blew, Purdue scraping out a 70-66 victory to avoid the upset
The ‘Cats will be back in action on Saturday, March 7 against Minnesota in the regular season finale.
Hartford Public knocks off SMSA to win inaugural Greater Hartford Conference boys basketball title
HARTFORD - For a minute there, it looked like the inaugural Greater Hartford Conference boys basketball championship game was going to be a TKO.
No. 2 Hartford Public led top-seed Sport & Medical Sciences Academy by 15 late in the third quarter.
Then it turned into Ali-Frazier.
Pick your own personal favorite of that trilogy. Wednesday night's battle between the GHC's two heavyweights, the third of three on the season, turned into a classic that went down to the wire, with Hartford Public holding on for a 57-54 victory before an amped-up full house at SMSA.
Jaiden Booth scored 29 points to power Public, and Jorge Nieves added 12 while commanding the glass.
But with SMSA heating to a boil in the fourth quarter behind Elijah Williams (19 points) and JaShaun Jernigan (18), the Owls didn't put the Tigers away so much as hold on when a final flurry of 3-pointers failed to find the mark in the waning seconds.
"That was amazing," said Hartford Public coach Leo Ramirez, his Owls Basketball sweatshirt soaked with sweat. "Both teams from Hartford, you couldn't picture it any better, and it was a great game."
A great game that sets a high bar for all league championships that follow. This was the first championship for the former Capital Region Athletic League, which re-branded as the GHC this year.
Both Hartford Public and SMSA are the newest kids on the league block. Hartford Public left the CCC for the CRAL in 2024, and this was SMSA's first season in the GHC after relocating from the NCCC, where the Tigers had won five league crowns, including four straight from 2021-24.
SMSA appeared to be on target for the GHC banner. The Tigers (20-3) blazed a 16-0 trail through league competition, including two previous victories over Hartford Public (17-6).
The Owls flipped the script Wednesday. They never trailed, building leads of 15-11 after one quarter and 25-20 by halftime.
In the third quarter, a 17-4 outburst sparked by a Sasha Elia drive, a Booth 3-pointer and a Ja'meer Jefferson fast break layup had the Owls cruising 42-27.
SMSA, however, closed the frame on a 9-1 surge capped by a top-of-the-key 3 from Williams at the horn. It was a foreshadowing of the fourth quarter, when treys from Williams and Jernigan, fueled by intense full-court pressure, cut the gap to 3 and set up a furious final two minutes.
Public kept the Tigers at bay on a 3-pointer by Leo Ramirez, the son of the coach, and a press-break drive by Booth.
"We lost to them two times in a row; we couldn't do it three," said Booth. "The emotions were high. The intensity was high today. We needed this win. Now we're on the Run to the Sun."
Indeed, the two teams now head to the CIAC tournament holding No. 3 seeds in their respective divisions - SMSA in III, Hartford Public in V. Both have byes into Tuesday's second round. SMSA hosts the winner of Sheehan and South Windsor. Hartford Public will welcome Valley Regional or GHC rival Comp Sci.
Player of the Game
Jaiden Booth:
Quotable
"We were hungry. We lost (to SMSA) twice. We definitely weren't losing the third time, especially in the conference (final). We were hungrier."
- Hartford Public's Jorge Nieves.
Hartford Public 57, SMSA 54
HARTFORD PUBLIC 15 10 18 14-57
SMSA 11 9 16 18-54
3-point field goals: Hartford Public-Booth 2, Ramirez, Mitchell; SMSA-Williams 2, Del Valle 2, Jernigan, Rios.
This article originally published at Hartford Public knocks off SMSA to win inaugural Greater Hartford Conference boys basketball title.
Arizona Cardinals S Budda Baker 2026 offseason profile
The 2026 league year is coming next month. It officially begins on March 11, with the legal negotiating period beginning on March 9.
The Arizona Cardinals have many roster decisions to make before then.
Leading up to the new league year, we will profile every player on the roster, go over what they did last season, what their contract status is and what they face in 2026.
Next up is safety Budda Baker.
Budda Baker 2025 season
It was another productive season for Baker in 2025, and another season with player honors. He made the Pro Bowl for the seventh straight season and for the eighth time overall. He also won the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
He played in 16 games last season, logging 120 total tackles, picking off one pass and breaking up five passes.
He was a little down statistically from his 2024 year, but he was still impactful, although he did miss more tackles than previous seasons.
Budda Baker contract status
He is signed through 2027. He receives a $1 million roster bonus on March 15 and is scheduled to make more than $14.4 million in salary, with nearly $7.8 million of it guaranteed.
Budda Baker offseason outlook
Baker, now entering his 10th season, all with the Cardinals, is reaching legendary status. He is nearing Larry Fitzgerald in terms of what he means to the franchise. He will be back in 2026. He will probably be a captain again, and he is expected to anchor the back end of the defense.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Budda Baker's contract status and 2026 offseason outlook