Northwestern experienced the highs and lows of this early Big Ten season in a span of two days this week.

On Friday night, the Wildcats nipped arch-rival Illinois at home in overtime. On Sunday, they dropped a tough-to-swallow 74-69 road loss to Purdue after playing perhaps their best game of the year.

The big men were front-and-center for both teams in this taut and tight affair that featured 15 lead changes in the second half alone.

Purdue’s 7-foot-2 Isaac Haas had 26 points to lead all scorers to go along 8 rebounds for the Boilers. Meanwhile, Northwestern center Dererk Pardon had his finest performance of this young season, putting up 20 points, 8 boards and 4 assists before fouling out in the final minute.

Here are our three pointers on the loss that drops Northwestern’s record to 5-4 (1-1 Big Ten):

McIntosh got an open look to tie it: Purdue’s Vincent Edwards, who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds, missed his second free throw and, after a tie-up, Northwestern got the possession arrow and the ball with 9.3 seconds left, trailing 72-69. Bryant McIntosh dribbled the ball up and moved to his left. Purdue’s D.J. Thompson tried to foul him but it wasn’t called, allowing McIntosh a clean look from just beyond the arc. His shot bounced off the back of the rim and was corralled by Edwards, who canned both free throws to seal the win. McIntosh, who failed to score in the second half and finished with just five points, again struggled down the stretch for Northwestern. After turning the ball over four times in the final 7:37 of regulation and overtime against Illinois, McIntosh missed the big 3-pointer and also had a costly turnover with 56 seconds left and the score tied at 69. Haas scored on a hook over Pardon on the ensuing possession to give the Boilers the lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Pardon had himself a game…but Haas was dominant: Pardon used his newly discovered mid-range game to hit 9 of 12 shots and lead the Wildcats in scoring. The junior center hit four jumpers from about 15 feet, opening up a whole new dimension to his game. He was his usual deft self down low, getting several layups around the rim after using pump-fakes to get Haas and 7-foot-3 Matt Haarms into the air. He also was a valuable passer for the Wildcats, dishing out four assists – tied for the team-high with Vic Law and McIntosh – including a smooth back-door bounce pass to a slashing Scottie Lindsey for a dunk. Haas, who has six inches and 55 pounds on Pardon, was simply too much to handle in the post. He consistently got the ball deep on the block and used an array of hooks, dunks and layups to go 8 for 13 from the floor or get to the line - he hit 10 of 14 on free throws. Pardon lost this battle with Haas, but if he can consistently hit those jumpers he will be difficult to defend the rest of the season.

The Cats looked like their old selves: Northwestern’s performances went from mediocre to disappointing for most of the first seven games, but the Wildcats looked a lot like last year’s version against the Boilers. Lindsey scored 17 points and had several successful drives to the basket, even if he made just 1 of 6 3-pointers. Law shook off a cold first half to score 10 of his 12 points in the second half. Isiah Brown, who is getting back in shape after missing a month of camp with a quad injury, contributed 9 points off the bench, 7 of them in the first half to help the Wildcats erase an 11-point deficit and forge a tie at halftime. In all, NU’s bench produced 15 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists. If Aaron Falzon regains his rhythm – he played just 12 minutes and took just one shot against Purdue – Northwestern will be in good shape once Big Ten play restarts in January.