The Huskers had just about nothing to play for, but they left it all out on the court Saturday afternoon, coming up just short of the mark, falling to the Purdue Boilermakers 75 to 73.
Glynn Watson came to play. In the first half, he hit his first three attempts from beyond the arc to give NU a 9-8 lead with 15:27 to go in the first half. Thomas Allen joined in on the action, nailing a three pointer of his own about a minute later.
Purdue’s Matt Haarms tied up the game at 16 apiece with 12:22 to go until halftime but Isaiah Roby jacked up a triple to make it 19-16 Huskers. The lead wouldn’t last long though, as Boilermaker guard Ryan Cline provided a burst, nailing a long three on a second chance opportunity.
James Palmer Jr.’s three point chance on the ensuing possession clanged off the rim, and Cline struck again on a running hook shot with Roby draped all over him to take the lead. Amir Harris then lost the ball on the inbound pass, allowing Purdue forward Trevion Williams to draw a foul for an and-one opportunity, furthering the damage and prompting the Huskers to take a timeout.
What could’ve been a demoralizing turn of events actually energized Nebraska, as they went on an 8-0 run before the next break. By halftime, the Huskers had surrendered their lead again but they only trailed by two points to a nationally ranked Purdue team that had beaten down Nebraska by double digits in their last meeting.
The second chance points scored in the second half allowing offensive rebound after offensive rebound killed the Husker’s hopes of a victory. On 16 offensive boards, the Boilermakers scored 17 points. During one possession, Purdue took four shots, with Cline draining a long three after the third rebound.
Nebraska had no answer for Haarms, who scored 17 points and 9 rebounds. He was also a disruptive force at the rim, finishing with 4 blocks on the day. Watson had 25 points, his season high. Palmer went 2-12 from the floor, but he had a season high 8 assists.
Despite the loss, the team displayed a huge turnaround since their Tuesday night beatdown in State College.
“I don’t take much from the Penn State game. It was extremely disappointing, right?” NU head coach Tim Miles said. “Tonight is disappointing in its own way, but obviously I’m proud of our guys. I thought they were just a couple plays away from winning.”
The disappointment culminated in a play that saw Purdue’s Grady Eiffort slip to the basket and score on an inbound play with just one second on the shot clock. In his frustration, Miles spiked his water bottle into the hardwood, causing a small delay as the water needed to be wiped up before the next play.
“It was a scramble situation defensively,” Miles said. Sometimes the game breaks you.”
The loss is an effective death blow to the Husker’s NCAA Tournament chances. They most likely would’ve had to have won their last four games, starting with this one. But now an NIT bid is barely in reach, with Nebraska still needing to take on Michigan, Michigan State, and Iowa. A losing season could be inevitable.
A couple of decent individual efforts couldn’t save Nebraska. Watson had 25 points, his season high. Palmer went 2-12 from the floor, but he had a season high 8 assists.
Nebraska is now 15-13 overall and 5-12 in Big 10 play.
In the end, the game was just another gut punch in Nebraska’s nightmarish 2018-19 season.
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