Fast Start Propels No. 7 Purdue Basketball to 92-65 Home Victory Over Nebraska
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After playing in just one game over the span of 10 days, Purdue basketball had ample time to reset and refocus for a home matchup against Nebraska.
The extra preparation showed, as the No. 7-ranked Boilermakers jumped to an early lead and never looked back in a 92-65 rout of the Cornhuskers on Friday night at Mackey Arena. After a slow start, Purdue exploded to a 23-4 lead with just under 13 minutes to play in the first half.
“It was something that we really focused on,” sophomore center Zach Edey said. “Really, our entire season we’ve always kind of had slow starts. We’ve gone down like 10 points early in games, so we really wanted to focus on coming out strong today.”
Nebraska got into foul trouble early, registering seven before the first media timeout. Purdue took advantage by hitting nine of its 10 free throws in the first half. Several came during a dominant 20-2 run, orchestrated by sophomore guard Jaden Ivey.
Ivey scored a team-high 14 points for the Boilermakers in the first half, highlighted by a pair of stepback 3-pointers and an emphatic putback dunk after a missed layup by sophomore forward Mason Gillis in transition.
Nebraska began to claw its way back from the massive deficit by hitting on six of its next 10 shots from the 3-point line. Alonzo Verge Jr. and C.J. Wilcher led the Cornhuskers with eight points apiece in the first half.
Edey also added 11 points for the Boilermakers in the first 20 minutes of play as Purdue took a 48-33 lead into halftime.
Both teams came out of the break cold from the 3-point line, combining for eight missed shots from beyond the arc. Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic went just 1-7 from deep, but still managed a 22 plus/minus rating by making six free throws, snatching three rebounds and contributing three assists.
The Cornhuskers began the second half much like the first. They registered six fouls before the first media timeout, and the Boilermakers began to amount an insurmountable lead. Purdue scored 28 points on 17 Nebraska turnovers while also putting up 21 on second-chance attempts.
“I’m not the smartest guy in the world, but when you see the final score, those are pretty glaring,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Those are things we can control. You’ve gotta take care of the ball, you can’t give extra possessions to a top-10 team on the road.
“This is as good of a team as I’ve seen. They’re so complete with the way they shoot the ball. This was with Stefanovic not making shots tonight.”
With fouls piling up for Nebraska, Edey was able to take over the game in the second half. He saw plenty of opportunities around the rim, going 9-12 from the field and finishing the game leading all scorers with 22 points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds.
Edey was one of four players for the Boilermakers to score in double figures. Ivey finished the game with 17, while forward Trevion Williams and Caleb Furst each added 10. Purdue ended the game shooting 49% from the field but just 31% from the 3-point line.
The 27-point win moves the Boilermakers to 14-2 on the season and 3-2 in Big Ten Play.
“We wanted to establish our big guys and get the ball inside and really try to attack them there, and just see how they play it, ” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “I thought our guys did a good job of being aggressive and being ready to play.
“We obviously didn’t shoot the ball great, but we still had a really good game. Our defense in a couple stretches was tough, but for the most part, I thought we did a good job of trying to take them out of what they wanted to do.”
The team is back in action Monday on the road against No. 25 Illinois. Purdue will look to string together back-to-back road wins after coming away with a victory over Penn State on Saturday, Jan. 7.
“Honestly, we just have to keep the same energy,” Ivey said. “Just play with that swagger that we’ve been playing with, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- PURDUE, NEBRASKA LIVE BLOG: No. 7 Purdue basketball earned its second straight victory in a matchup against Nebraska on Friday at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers are now a perfect 8-0 against the Cornhuskers at home. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.