Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

No. 21 Purdue beats Nebraska 89-74 behind Hammons’ 32

A.J. Hammons, Tai Webster

Purdue’s A.J. Hammons (20) fouls Nebraska’s Tai Webster (0) as Webster goes up for a shot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue won 89-74. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

AP

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) A.J. Hammons scored a career-best 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, leading No. 21 Purdue to an 89-74 victory over Nebraska on Saturday.

Rapheal Davis had 17 points and six rebounds, and Isaac Haas scored 13 points for Purdue (19-4, 7-3 Big Ten). Caleb Swanigan contributed six points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Boilermakers, who improved to 5-0 against Nebraska (12-10, 4-5) in Mackey Arena.

Shavon Shields and Andrew White III each scored 16 to lead the Cornhuskers, who had no answer for 7-footers Hammons and Haas.

Hammons, who had 16 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday’s win at Minnesota, surpassed his previous best of 30, notched in a loss to Indiana on Jan. 30, 2013. He scored the Boilermakers’ first eight points in the second half.

Purdue got a 3-pointer from Davis and a baseline jumper from Swanigan to increase its lead to 76-65 with 6:16 to play. Hammons broke his career high with a dunk with 4:28 remaining for a 78-65 advantage.

Davis’ 3-pointer gave Purdue a 61-51 lead with 12:34 remaining, but back-to-back baskets from Shields and Glynn Watson Jr. trimmed Nebraska’s deficit to 61-55 with 11:49 to play.

A 3-pointed by Watson with 12:52 to go capped an 8-0 Nebraska run and sliced Purdue’s lead to 58-51, prompting a Boilermaker timeout.

Purdue scored the final five points in the first half - a Ryan Cline 3-pointer and a dunk at the buzzer by Hammons following an offensive rebound - for a 44-35 lead.

The Boilermakers shot 51.7 percent (15 of 29) during the first half. Nebraska shot 43.3 percent (13 of 30).

TIP-INS

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers entered Saturday’s game having won three consecutive Big Ten road games. A Nebraska basketball team has not won four consecutive league road games since the 1975-76 season. ... The Cornhuskers were playing their first game since an 81-68 loss to Michigan on Jan. 23 in Lincoln, Nebraska. ... Nebraska ranks second in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 7.2 per game. ... The Cornhuskers have two of the Big Ten’s top eight scorers in No. 6 Andrew White II (16.9) and No. 8 Shavon Shields (15.8).

Purdue: The Boilermakers honored their “Three-Peat” Big Ten championship teams from 1994, `95 and `96, all coached by Gene Keady. ... Before playing Nebraska, Purdue had won 19 of 20 home games, losing only to No. 3 Iowa on Jan. 2. ... The Boilermakers lead the country in rebounding margin at plus-12.1 and outrebounded each of their first 22 opponents. ... Purdue’s non-starters outscored the opposing team’s bench in 21 of the first 22 games.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: Hosts No. 7 Maryland on Wednesday night.

Purdue: Plays at No. 7 Maryland on Saturday.