Pete Nance had 20 points and Northwestern led from start to finish to get back to .500 with a 77-65 win over Nebraska on Tuesday night in Evanston, Ill.
The Wildcats (13-13, 6-11 Big Ten) snapped a three-game skid by shooting 50 percent from the floor, including 55.6 percent in the second half. Northwestern drained 13 3-pointers, tying a season high set in an 87-63 win at Nebraska on Feb. 5.
Nance was 8 of 11 from the field and 4 of 5 from outside while adding five rebounds and five assists. Chase Audige and Boo Buie both contributed 15 points for Northwestern.
Nebraska (7-20, 1-15) fell to 1-30 on the road under third-year coach Fred Hoiberg despite winning the rebound battle for only the second time in conference action this season. The Cornhuskers shot 41.4 percent, 37.9 percent in the second half.
Bryce McGowen had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Nebraska, which lost its third straight game, all by double digits. Alonzo Verge Jr. also scored 15 points, and Kobe Webster had 13 points.
Northwestern used a 9-0 run early in the second half to turn a 37-31 halftime edge into a 13-point lead with 17:13 left. The Wildcats extended the margin to 60-43 on a 3-pointer by Nance with 10:58 remaining.
Nebraska got as close as 72-63 with 1:47 left on a 3-pointer by Verge, but after a double technical on Buie and Nebraska’s Lat Mayen, the Wildcats got the lead back over 10 and were never threatened.
Nebraska started 3 of 12 from the field and went nearly four minutes without scoring while Northwestern scored seven in a row to lead 19-7 less than nine minutes into the game. The Cornhuskers got within 28-21 with 5:10 left in the first half and cut the deficit to six in the final minute before the break.
Northwestern heads to Penn State on Friday, while Nebraska is home that evening against No. 25 Iowa.
–Field Level Media
