LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska took its first lead on Tuesday night when Oscar Cluff’s layup gave Purdue the lead with 3.9 seconds left in overtime and Gicarri Harris’ two free throws lifted the No. 13 Boilermakers past the No. 7 Cornhuskers 80-77.
Purdue (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten) escaped after blowing a 22-point lead early in the second half. The Boilermakers picked up their second top-10 win of the season, kicking off a tough closing stretch that saw them play three top-10 teams in 16 days.
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Nebraska (21-3, 10-3) lost for the third time in four games after a 20-0 start. All three games were losses to ranked opponents.
Fletcher Loyer scored a Purdue-high 18 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had a career-high 19 rebounds, and Braden Smith had 13 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Rienk Mast led the Huskers with 18 points, Jamarques Lawrence added 16 points and Pryce Sandfort scored all 15 of his points in the second half.
Sandford’s layup gave Nebraska its first lead at 77-75 with 1:31 left in overtime. Clough was fouled while grabbing an offensive rebound and had a chance to tie the game, but he only made one of two free throws. Clough’s counterattack on the next possession gave the Boilermakers a one-point lead in the final seconds. Lawrence fumbled an inside pass from Sam Hoiberg and Harris caught the ball and was fouled. After Harris’ free throw, Clough intercepted a long pass from the Huskers before the final buzzer.
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The Huskers overcame a 16-point deficit in two wins, sending the team into overtime on Mast’s putback shot with 12.8 seconds left. Mast missed a free throw that would have gone ahead and Smith’s fadeaway jumper in the paint bounced off the rim at the end of regulation.
Next
Purdue: Visit Iowa State on Saturday.
Nebraska: Host Northwestern on Saturday.
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