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Huskers Defeat No. 20 Purdue, 83-80Huskers Defeat No. 20 Purdue, 83-80
Men's Basketball

Huskers Defeat No. 20 Purdue, 83-80

Box Score

Behind a career-high 21 points from sophomore Jack McVeigh, Nebraska knocked off No. 20 Purdue, 83-80, in front of 15,715 fans at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon. 

McVeigh paced four Huskers in double figures, matching his career high with 21 points. While the 6-foot-8 sophomore hurt Purdue with his long-range shooting -- he was 4-of-6 on 3-pointers -- McVeigh was 7-of-10 from the free-throw line in the second half.

McVeigh was one off two Husker reserves with big afternoons, as freshman Jeriah Horne had 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting and a career-high seven rebounds in 24 minutes. The duo helped NU total a season-high 39 points from its bench.

The Husker backcourt of Tai Webster and Glynn Watson Jr. rounded out the quartet in double figures, as Webster had 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Watson totaled 12 points.

The Huskers, despite being without Ed Morrow Jr. for the fifth straight game, got contributions up and down the lineup as they overcome a nine-point deficit in the in the first 10 minutes and later rallied from five points down in the final 2:24 to snap a five-game losing streak.

Trailing 75-70 after a Dakota Mathias 3-pointer, the Huskers used a 12-4 surge to stun Purdue. Freshman Jordy Tshimanga got the run started with a 3-point play to cut the deficit to 75-72. NU trailed 78-75 after a pair of Caleb Swanigan free throws with 1:20 left before making a final run.

Watson made it a one-point game with a pair of free throws before sophomore Michael Jacobson would provide the heroics moments later. The 6-foot-9 sophomore, who battled the flu and took an IV at halftime, stripped the ball from Swanigan on Purdue’s next possession to give the Huskers a chance to take the lead. After a miss from McVeigh, Jacobson got the offensive rebound and scored with 41 seconds left to give NU a 79-78 lead.

After forcing another turnover, McVeigh split a pair of foul shots to put the Huskers up 80-78 before Watson forced Purdue’s third straight turnover with a steal and hit a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to four points.

Purdue, which cut the lead to 82-80 after a pair of Mathias free throws with 6.2 seconds left, fouled McVeigh on the inbounds, and the sophomore split a pair to stretch the lead back to three. Purdue, which went 14-of-24 from 3-point range, had one final shot to send the game to overtime, but Mathias was off the mark on Purdue’s final attempt.

The win snapped Nebraska’s five-game losing streak, including a pair of one-point losses earlier this month, as the Huskers held Purdue to 44 percent shooting and forced 13 turnovers. NU also won the rebounding battled, 40-35, as Horne, Webster and Jacobson each grabbed at least seven rebounds.

Mathias led four Purdue players in double figures with 19 points, while Swanigan finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, but NU limited the All-American candidate to just 5-of-15 from the field.

In the first half, the Huskers used the hot shooting of McVeigh and Horne to take a 39-33 lead into the locker room. Nebraska shot 42 percent from the field, including 7-of-11 from 3-point range.

Purdue scored nine of the first 11 points and eventually built an 18-9 lead before the play of the Husker bench led the comeback. NU used a 20-5 surge to turn a nine-point deficit into a 29-23 lead. Horne scored all seven of his first-half points in the run, as NU hit five 3-pointers in the spurt. Purdue eventually pulled to within one before Webster keyed a 7-0 spurt to extend NU’s lead to its largest of the day, at 38-31, with 10 seconds remaining in the first half.

Nebraska’s lead would be short-lived, as Purdue opened the second half by scoring nine of the first 12 points to even the score at 42 after a Carsen Edwards’ 3-pointer. Purdue, which hit its first four 3-pointers of the second half, eventually stretched the lead to seven, 61-54, with 9:47 left after an Isaac Haas basket.

Horne led the Huskers back, as Nebraska ran off six straight points to pull within 61-60 after a Horne jumper with 7:48 left, and neither team led by more than five points the rest of the way.

The Huskers continue their two-game homestand this Thursday, as they host Michigan State on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and former Husker and current Cleveland Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue will have his jersey retired at halftime. A limited number of tickets are available by calling 800-8-BIGRED or visiting Huskers.com/Tickets.

 

FINAL STATS

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