Keisei Tominaga had 19 points and Rienk Mast added 18 to help Nebraska knock off No. 1 Purdue 88-72 on Tuesday night in a Big Ten Conference game in Lincoln, Neb.
It was the Cornhuskers’ first win over a top-ranked team since 1982 when they won at old Big 8 foe Missouri. They did it by hitting a season-high 14 3-pointers on just 23 attempts, making seven in each half.
Tominaga went 5-of-9 from 3 while Mast, who was matched up against reigning national player of the year Zach Edey, made two 3s and was 8-of-17 from the field. CJ Wilcher added 16 points, Juwan Gary scored 12 and Brice Williams had nine points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for Nebraska (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten).
Purdue (14-2, 3-2) fell to 1-2 in true road games as it found itself taking more 3-pointers than 2-pointers for the first time all season. The Boilermakers were 13-of-33 from outside, with Mason Gillis hitting five as part of a season-high 16 points, but they made only 11 of 24 shots from inside the arc.
Edey finished with 15 points and seven rebounds after having a season-low 10 in Friday’s home win over then-No. 9 Illinois. Fletcher Loyer scored 13 points and Lance Jones and Braden Smith added 10 apiece.
Nebraska led 41-30 at the break thanks to a 13-0 run over the final 3:17 of the first half. Purdue ended a scoreless streak of more than five minutes that carried over from the first half, making five straight shots — including back-to-back 3-pointers by Jones and Smith to get within 46-43 with 15:45 left.
It was a one-point game when Josiah Allick drained a corner 3-pointer before Wilcher had nine points in an 11-0 run to give Nebraska a 65-52 edge with 11:53 remaining.
The Boilermakers cut it to 77-70 on Loyer’s 3 with 4:28 left, but Tominaga drained his fifth triple on the other end to get it back to double digits.
Mast had Nebraska’s first seven points as the Cornhuskers took advantage of Purdue missing its first six shots. The Boilermakers righted the ship, though, and used an 8-0 run to take their first lead.
Purdue led 28-25 with 4:15 left after Gillis made his fourth 3-pointer, but the Boilermakers did not make a field goal the rest of the half. Meanwhile, Nebraska hit seven in a row and shot 53.6 percent in the first half, making 7 of 10 3s.
–Field Level Media
