Nebraska basketball eliminated from Big Ten Tournament in crushing loss to Purdue
Nebraska basketball (26-6, 15-6) fell to Purdue 74-58 on Friday in its first game of the Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers trailed the entire way and looked completely outmatched, finalizing a one-and-done trip to Chicago.
Pryce Sandfort led the way with 15 points but struggled to find a groove. Rienk Mast added 11 points thanks to three 3-point makes. No other Husker scored more than eight.
Nebraska shot 39% from the field and 32% from deep in the loss. Purdue cashed 10 Husker turnovers in for 17 points and outscored Nebraska 26-18 in the paint. 13 Boilermaker offensive boards turned into 19 second-chance points.
Here is an instant recap of the loss:
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Boilermakers coast to comfortable lead
Much like in the first matchup, Purdue grabbed a sizable lead early and controlled the first 20 minutes.
17 Boilermaker points off of eight Nebraska turnovers was the difference in the first half. The Huskers won the rebounding battle 16-15 with six offensive boards but were outscored 14-4 in the paint. Six 3-pointers on 35% shooting from behind the arc kept Nebraska alive.
The Boilermakers came out hot from deep, hitting three of their first four attempts. Guard C.J. Cox knocked down a pair of early triples before Fletcher Loyer drilled another, capping off an 8-0 Boilermaker run that forced a Nebraska timeout.
The Huskers started 1-of-4 with two turnovers and trailed 13-3 with 16 minutes left in the first half.
Nebraska rallied out of the break. Mast knocked down two massive 3-pointers, combining with Sandfort for all of Nebraska’s first 11 points. The Huskers started 5-of-10 from deep, narrowing the deficit to five, 21-16, at the under-12 timeout.
Jared Garcia checked in after the break and immediately hit a triple, capping off a 6-0 Husker run to cut Purdue’s lead to two.
However, Nebraska didn’t score for the next three minutes. Guard Omer Mayer helped the Boilermakers balloon the lead back to eight, as they continued to cash in on uncharacteristic turnovers. Forward Oscar Cluff controlled the paint for Purdue, giving them a 12-2 advantage down low with six minutes to go. Garcia was the only Husker to score over a seven-minute period.
Cale Jacobsen was called for a questionable foul on Cox’s sixth attempt from deep, drawing a furious reaction from Fred Hoiberg. Cox knocked down all three free throws, extending Purdue’s lead to 11, its largest of the evening.
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Luckily for Nebraska, the Boilermakers cooled down from deep. After a 3-of-4 start, they made just one of their next nine 3-pointers. Loyer was having none of it, however. He drilled two massive triples late in the half to push Purdue’s lead to a game-high 13 points, 41-28, at the break.
Purdue staves off Husker push
Lawrence opened the second-half scoring, but the Boilermakers rattled off a 7-0 run highlighted by Braden Smith’s first 3-pointer. Purdue’s lead grew to as many as 18.
A three-minute Boilermaker scoring drought ensued, but Nebraska failed to take advantage. The Huskers scored just one field goal over that stretch.
Sandfort hit a wide-open 3-pointer to narrow the deficit to 51-38 with 13:09 remaining. Mast followed with a triple of his own, forcing Matt Painter to call a timeout. Guard Gicarri Harris threw a counter punch out of the break, pushing the lead back to 13.
Mast got a hookshot to fall and Sam Hoiberg followed with a massive 3-pointer — his first bucket of the day — to pull Nebraska within eight, 56-48. That was as close as the Huskers would get.
Just as Nebraska seemingly built some momentum, Garcia fouled Smith late in the shot clock to send the senior guard to the line. On the next possession, Garcia couldn’t gather a rebound and it slipped back into Boilermaker hands. Cox snuck to the corner and drilled an open look, pushing the lead back to 13, 63-50 with 5:37 to go.
The rebounding success Nebraska found early faded. Eight offensive boards led to 13 second-chance points for Purdue before the under-four timeout. Cluff grabbed an offensive rebound and Loyer capitalized, hitting his fourth 3-pointer. A 12-2 run all but put Nebraska away as the Boilermakers extended their lead to 70-52.
Purdue rolled down the stretch on its way to a 74-58 victory, sending the Huskers packing. Nebraska will learn its NCAA Tournament seed and first-round destination on Sunday. The selection show is at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.
