Nebraska Cornhuskers free throws go cold as Purdue Boilermakers build a 41-point first half at United Center

The Nebraska Cornhuskers entered the Big Ten Conference Tournaments quarterfinal with an 11 ranking and left Chicago with a 74-58 loss to the 18 Purdue Boilermakers at 6:30 PM EDT on BTN. The Huskers finished with 58 points to Purdue’s 74, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers full-time result came with Purdue holding a 20-point biggest lead while Nebraska never led.

First half

The Nebraska Cornhuskers scored 28 points in the opening half while the Boilermakers put up 41 with 26 made field goals on 45 percent shooting for the game. Nebraska hit 22 field goals on 39 percent shooting overall, and the Huskers matched Purdue with 10 made three pointers while both teams shot 32 percent from deep. Nebraska’s early gap also reflected the free-throw line, where the Huskers went 4-for-9 for 44 percent while Purdue converted 12-for-14 for 86 percent.

Second half

The Nebraska Cornhuskers scored 30 points after halftime and Purdue scored 33, and Nebraska finished with 15 assists against 10 turnovers while Purdue posted 20 assists against 9 turnovers. Nebraska generated 3 fast-break points and 5 points off turnovers, and Purdue turned Nebraska’s mistakes into 17 points off turnovers while adding 19 second-chance points. The Nebraska Cornhuskers post-match stats also showed Nebraska with 29 total rebounds and Purdue with 39, including Purdue’s 11 offensive rebounds that supported its second-chance scoring.

Key numbers and player notes

The Huskers’ rotation in the previous game was led on the scoring line by Pryce Sandfort with 15 points on 43 percent field-goal shooting, and Rienk Mast added 11 points with 3 assists. Sam Hoiberg posted 8 rebounds and 4 assists in that earlier outing, and Cale Jacobsen contributed 2 blocks with 4 points on 67 percent shooting. Nebraska’s bench produced 18 points in this game while Purdue’s bench scored 16, and Nebraska finished with 8 second-chance points compared to Purdue’s 19 in a gap that explained what went wrong for Nebraska Cornhuskers.

After the horn

The Nebraska Cornhuskers totaled 18 points in the paint while Purdue had 28 points in the paint, and Nebraska’s 48 percent true shooting trailed Purdue’s 58 percent in overall efficiency. Nebraska Cornhuskers post-game interviews on BTN are set to follow the 6:30 PM EDT national broadcast window, so run it back with the replay, then share this article with other Big Red fans.