The Nebraska Cornhuskers walked into West Lafayette, Indiana, in desperate need of a win. They stole one on the road against Purdue Wednesday night.
NU got off to a rough start. The already shorthanded Big Red had a major scare as starting Center Alexis Markowski went down with a leg injury and was forced to exit the game early in quarter one. Luckily for Nebraska, Markowski would return later in the quarter.
The first was fierce and full of back-and-forth action. Purdue jumped to a quick 11-6 lead as Nebraska responded with a 10-0 run to go up five and ended the half up 19-16. Abby Ellis was the catalyst for the Boilermakers as she finished the Quarter with 10 points
The second was not quite the same, as both teams experienced sloppy play on the offensive end. The Boilermakers turned the ball over seven times and experienced an over three-minute scoring drought. The Huskers topped Purdue with a five-minute scoring drought of their own. Nebraska shot 5-of-16 from the floor and turned the ball over four times. Despite the Husker’s second-quarter struggles, they headed into the locker room down 31-30.
Nebraska shot 35.5 percent from the floor in half-one. Alexis Markowski had eight points and four rebounds. Maddie Krull also finished with eight points and had her fair share of crafty finishes around the basket. Krull finished the game with 15 points
Ellis stayed hot in quarter two, finishing the half with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 3 made threes.
Purdue took control of the game in the third. The Boilermakers were incredibly efficient on the offensive end. They shot 58% from the field and 50% from three, went 8-of-10 from the free throw line, and outrebounded the Huskers 9-2. NU shot 46% from the field but only 1-6 from three and 5-6 from the free throw line. Purdue jumped on Nebraska to start the third going on a 14-6 run. The Huskers stuck around, and while they continued to have offensive struggles, they kept the game within reach. NU made their last three field goals and was down eight heading into the 4th
The Huskers completely flipped the script in the fourth. Nebraska continued their hot shooting, starting the quarter off on a 7-2 run. A 4-point possession capped off the run after a clear path foul free throw from Sam Haiby and an and-one From Markowksi to cut Boilermaker’s lead to five with 6:47 to go. NU kept their foot on the gas going on a 12-3 run, giving them a 67-61 lead with 56 seconds to go. Nebraska thwarted a late Purdue push with four straight Jaz Shelley free throws and walked out of Mackey Arena victorious, 71-64.
Nebraska shot 44% from the field in the fourth quarter, but the story was their defense. Purdue went 3-12 from the floor in the fourth and got outrebounded by the Big Red 12-5. Ellis went scoreless in the final quarter and ended the game with 20. Markowski dominated in the 4th. She scored 11 fourth-quarter points finishing the game with 19. She grabbed 10 rebounds for her 8th double-double of the year. Sam Haiby played a phenomenal defense, disrupting the Purdue offense and forcing the Boilermakers to call multiple timeouts. Haiby finished the game with 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
The Big Red now moves to 12-7 on the season and welcome No.11 Maryland to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 22nd