Nebraska Basketball: Huskers blowout Boilermakers at home

Nebraska 76 Purdue 57

Player of the Game:

David Rivers- Of course, this could have been given to Terran Petteway again, who scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Huskers once again. But Rivers energy and rebounding was a big lift for Nebraska, playing against one of the Big Ten’s best big men in A.J. Hammons. Rivers finished with 7 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks to go along with stellar interior defense. His addition to the starting lineup makes Nebraska an upper-echelon defensive team and he showed why Sunday afternoon.

Key Stat:

Rebounding- Purdue is one of the Big Ten’s best rebounding teams, particular on offense. The Boilermakers came into Sunday’s game averaging 14 offensive rebounds a game, rebounding 37 percent of their misses. Nebraska wasn’t intimidated though, battling the entire game on the glass. The Huskers lost the rebounding battle 40-37, but only gave up 9 offensive rebounds. I’ll call that a win for Nebraska.

Play of the Game:

This had nothing to do with the outcome of the game, but Walter Pitchford rocked the Pinnacle Bank Arena crowd with a one handed dunk off of an alley-oop from Ray Gallegos. It was something Nebraska fans normally don’t see and it’s a sign that times are changing in Lincoln. You don’t usually see an athletic play like that one coming from a Nebraska player. It was fun to watch. 

Quotes Worth Mentioning:

-Walter Pitchford, Nebraska forward

On responding with two wins after Michigan State...

"It's us always. That's our key that we follow. We don't let the crowd dictate on what's going on. We are doing a good job of that and we are really maturing." 

-Shavon Shields, Nebraska guard

On scoring options...

"We have different people that show up on different nights. We're really molding right now and coming together. We want to keep things rolling." 

On NCAA Tournament...

"We can't pay attention to that right now. When you start to look at the big picture, you get a distorted look at things. It's all about the next game. Illinois right now."

-Matt Painter, Purdue coach 

On whether Nebraska is an NCAA Tourney team...

"They are going to have to finish stronger. There's no doubt that they can get into the NCAA tournament, you have to get off 9-9. It comes down to your quality wins. They are pretty particular with how they play. They are a very good defensive team. They probably have to get one more good one." 

On Nebraska fans...

"Most fans come out when you win. These fans came out to help them win." 

-Tim Miles, Nebraska coach

"This is a team that really cares about together. Growing up and understanding. They have just been playing really well together lately." 

Other Notes:

-Shavon Shields recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, the second of his career.

-Nebraska won its fifth-straight conference game for the first time since the 1998-1999 season.

-This is the first time the Huskers have beaten Purdue in the regular season since joining the Big Ten. They beat the Boilermakers in the Big Ten Tournament last year. 

-Nebraska improved to 16-10 with the win and 8-6 in the conference. Both are better than their win totals from last year. 

Thanks for reading! Check out the game story in tomorrow's Daily Nebraskan. 

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