No. 20 Nebraska women’s basketball rebounded from back-to-back losses with a 78-62 victory over Purdue Sunday at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.
The Cornhuskers (13-2, 2-2 Big Ten) had dropped games earlier this week to No. 17 USC and No. 14 Iowa, but rode hot shooting from behind the arc (63 percent, 12-for-19) to distance themselves from the Boilermakers (8-7, 0-4). Britt Prince led Nebraska with 17 points including four three-pointers. Eliza Maupin and Amiah Hargrove both scored 13, while Callin Hake added 11. Tara Daye led Purdue with 12 points, while Kiki Smith and Kendall Puryear both contributed 10 points.
The Huskers outshot Purdue not only from distance, but also overall (51 percent to 44 percent).
The Boilermakers led early, 6-5 with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter, but Nebraska took control of the game with an 8-0 run to build a 13-6 lead with 6:17 to play in the first quarter. The Huskers led 22-17 through one quarter. A 9-0 Huskers run late in the second quarter pushed the Nebraska advantage to 38-25 with 2:34 to go in the half. Maupin tallied the first six points of the run. The Huskers took a 43-32 lead to halftime.
While Nebraska led by at least six points the entire third quarter, Purdue did enough to at least hang around through the period. The Huskers led 58-48 through three quarters. The Boilermakers were able to work within eight in the fourth quarter, but drew no closer. After Purdue cut the deficit to 67-59 with 3:39 to go, Nebraska finished the game on an 11-3 run.
The Huskers are back in action Thursday against Indiana at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m., with tipoff at 7 p.m. on KLIN and B-107.3.