Purdue falls on road at Nebraska

• Purdue turned the ball over on three straight possessions in the final minute of the game.
• Nebraska outrebounded Purdue 40-35, including a 15-11 advantage on offense boards.

LINCOLN, Neb. ― Behind Purdue basketball's consistent success, a handful of potential pitfalls lingered.

Many of them converged early Sunday evening at Pinnacle Bank Arena, and a Nebraska team ravenous for its own taste of success capitalized.

Multiple defensive lapses, surprising rebounding shortcomings and turnovers in the critical final minutes let No. 20 Purdue down in an 83-80 loss at Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers ended their five-game losing streak and, in the process, may have delivered a significant blow to the Boilermakers' hopes of contending for a Big Ten Conference championship. The Boilermakers fell two games behind league-leading Wisconsin and Maryland in the loss column.

Each of those three areas had been an on-and-off concern, sometimes hidden behind the onslaught of Purdue's inside-outside offensive balance. When all three peeked through Sunday, even a 58.3 percent 3-point shooting effort, a team-record-tying 18th double-double from Caleb Swanigan and Dakota Mathias' clutch shot-making couldn't extend the Boilermakers' three-game winning streak.

"We've showed signs of being really good this year, and then we've showed signs of lack of maturity and toughness on the road — or just lack of toughness in general," said point guard P.J. Thompson, who collected nine points on three 3-pointers and six assists without a turnover. "I thought we weren't tough enough to win tonight."

The inspired Huskers had answers for Purdue all night. When the Boilermakers jumped out to an 18-9 lead early, Nebraska outscored them 30-15 the rest of the half. When Purdue went up by seven with less than 10 minutes to play, an ailing Michael Jacobson stepped up with five big points on the next two possessions.

When Mathias hit a 3 with 2:19 left to make it a five-point game, Nebraska's Jordy Tshimanga responded with a conventional 3-point play. The 6-11, 274-pound freshman center made his first career start and provided a big obstacle for Swanigan in the paint.

Yet the Cornhuskers rewarded the 14,194 in attendance most with their play in the final minute. Purdue turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions. The first came with a 78-77 lead, the second and third came with chances to take the lead or go ahead. The Boilermakers got the ball inside to Swanigan on all three trips up the floor, but never got a shot off through the Huskers' collapsing double-team.

"They did a good job of mixing it up, as far covering down low on our big guys," said Mathias, who scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half. "I give them a lot of credit. They outfought us."

Big games from Minnesota's Nate Mason and Iowa's Peter Jok were pivotal in those team's victories over Purdue. On Friday, Purdue coach Matt Painter emphasized the importance of limiting Nebraska lead guards Tai Webster and Glynn Watson.

The Boilermakers did so, making the duo take 25 field goals to score their 27 points. However, Painter wondered after the game if that attention hadn't opened the door for the Cornhuskers who hurt Purdue the most.

Nebraska forward Jack McVeigh kept getting lost in the Boilermakers' defensive rotations in the first half. He made 4-of-5 from 3-point range en route to 16 first-half points off the bench. He was the chief reason why the Cornhuskers took a 39-33 lead into halftime.

"We just had a total breakdown on him a couple of times," Painter said of McVeigh, who tied his season high with 21 points. "You've got to be there."

When asked if anything about the play of the Nebraska freshman surprised him, Painter responded, "I'm surprised he played." The forward hadn't played in Thursday's loss at Northwestern. However, he'll likely be a prominent piece of Michigan State's scouting report ahead of the Cornhuskers' next game after posting 16 points and seven rebounds against Purdue.

"During the game, we didn't concentrate enough on them," Thompson said. "I don't know if we didn't have a big enough respect for them or what, but they're in the Big Ten for a reason. We didn't guard how you have to guard on the road to win."

Nebraska played without Ed Morrow, Jr., a member of its starting frontcourt, for the fifth straight game due to a foot injury. Even without him, the Cornhuskers outrebounded Purdue 40-35 — including 15-11 on offense — and held a 32-20 edge on points in the paint.

The Huskers' 17-13 edge on second-chance points loomed large in the final minutes.

Coming off of a win at Michigan State, Purdue was poised to surge into a tough stretch of four out of five games on the road.

After Sunday's setback, every game takes on greater importance as the Boilermakers attempt to stay in the race atop the Big Ten standings.

"That's not completely out the window yet, but we've just got to focus on every game," Swanigan said. "We can't look down the road anymore because we're just dropping games we shouldn't be losing."

Contact Journal & Courier Purdue sports reporter Nathan Baird at nbaird@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @nbairdjc.

Wednesday's game

Northwestern (18-4, 7-2) at No. 20 Purdue (17-5, 6-3)

Time: 8:30 p.m.

TV: BTN

Radio: WYCM 95.7