Late surge sends Purdue basketball to Big Ten Tournament semifinals
· Yahoo Sports
CHICAGO − The second half icicles that nearly led to Purdue basketball's demise against Nebraska during the regular season returned.
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The Boilermakers built a comfortable halftime lead only to see the Cornhuskers keep it just close enough to keep them uncomfortable.
Nebraska closed within eight before Purdue delivered a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal knockout of the No. 2 seed, 74-58 at United Center Friday, March 13.
After going 13 of 46 from 3-point range at Nebraska on Feb. 10, Purdue came out hot from beyond the arc. It wouldn't hold up though, until CJ Cox's corner triple with 5:38 to go padded the Boilermaker lead back to 13.
The season sweep of Nebraska, coupled with Thursday's win over Northwestern, suddenly has Purdue surging at the right time entering a third game in as many days on Saturday.
Who does Purdue basketball play next in the Big Ten Tournament?
Purdue advances to Saturday's 3:30 p.m. semifinal. The Boilermakers will play either Michigan State or UCLA.
Purdue basketball turning point vs. Nebraska in Big Ten Tournament
For the second straight game, Purdue got the strong start it needed. The Boilermakers jumped ahead 13-3 with two early 3-pointers by CJ Cox, another from Fletcher Loyer and a pair of Oscar Cluff layups.
Nebraska trimmed that lead to two in a hurry, but Loyer's late first half heroics, including a steal and two 3-pointers in the final 1:15, pushed Purdue ahead 41-28 by halftime, anchored by outscoring Nebraska 17-0 off turnovers.
It wasn't until a Fletcher Loyer 3-pointer from the corner put Purdue ahead 70-52 that the Boilermakers exhaled.
How many assists does Braden Smith need to break NCAA record?
After a Big Ten Tournament record 16 assists against Northwestern on Thursday, Braden Smith entered Friday's quarterfinal against Nebraska 32 assists shy of former Duke guard Bobby Hurley's NCAA record of 1,076.
Smith had 10 assists against the Cornhuskers. Smith now has 1,055 career assists. He needs 21 to tie Hurley's record and 22 to stand alone.
3 Purdue basketball stars vs. Nebraska in Big Ten Tournament
Fletcher Loyer: At Nebraska last month, Loyer was just 4 of 17 from 3-point range. He quickly put that in the rear view on Friday, scoring 13 first half points and going 3 of 5 from downtown. Loyer finished with a team-high 19 points and made 4 of 9 3-pointers.
Trey Kaufman-Renn: The fifth-year post was a rebounding warrior, with 19 at Nebraska last month. His 9 rebounds, including 5 offensive, this time coupled with 10 points.
Oscar Cluff: The transfer center again was a difference maker down low in his second postseason game with the Boilers. Cluff finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds, including 4 offensive.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball wins Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal over Nebraska