If you looked at the school name of Purdue Fort Wayne and thought this would be a cakewalk, you would have been wrong. While the final score says Nebraska won easily, the play-by-play says otherwise. The Huskers clung to a seven-point lead at one point in the fourth quarter but pulled away late to make the score look much better than the game actually was.
Britt Prince (18) led a quartet of Huskers in double figures: Maupin (13), Nissley (11) and Hargrove (11). Hargrove led the team with six rebounds
while Prince added seven assists. The Huskers shot 57% (33-58) from the field and held the Mastodons to 39% (21-54). Nebraska pulled down 34 rebounds while PFW grabbed 26. Purdue Fort Wayne committed 18 turnovers to 14 for Nebraska. Jess Petrie blocked a career-high three shots.
Purdue Fort Wayne held the Huskers to their lowest scoring output so far this season (80). The fast early pace may have kept it close, but Nebraska wore out the Mastodons and were able to put some distance in the score.
First Quarter Notes
The Mastadons were not intimidated by the Huskers in any way, shape, or form. They stuck with Nebraska through the first half of the quarter with Nebraska holding an 11-10 advantage at that point. Britt Prince has led the way with four of the Husker’s points as well as two assists. Both teams are playing at a fast pace and these first five minutes have disappeared quickly.
After each team found pay dirt, a three for Nebraska and layup for PFW, the score stagnated at 16-12 for three minutes. Two free throws by the Mastadons closed out the scoring for the quarter. Britt Prince committed an offensive foul trying to score at the end of the quarter.
This game is moving fast with very few stoppages in play. Let’s hope the Huskers start hitting their shots. They’ve only hit 40% of their shots, but are fortunately holding PFW to 33%.
Nebraska 16 Purdue Fort Wayne 14
Second Quarter Notes
Purdue Fort Wayne briefly took the lead on a three-pointer, Nebraska took it back on a Petrie layup, and then the Mastadons hit another three to lead 20-18. Purdue Fort Wayne extended their lead to as much as four (23-19) before Nebraska went on a six-point run to take a 25-23 lead halfway through the quarter. The scoring is fairly evenly distributed with Prince (6), and Maupin, Bozan, and Petrie with five apiece. Starter Hailey Weaver is on the bench with two fouls while two Mastodon starters have two fouls.
On the radio, Griesch and Coatney are nearly besides themselves with the no-calls on the Mastodons and uneven foul call standards. I am only listening to the game, not watching, so I can’t confirm or deny if they are correct.
The Husker defense clamped down and the offense did just enough to extend their lead to seven (33-26). Kennadi Williams landed awkwardly and limped off the floor (ankle). On the next Husker possession, Hake hit a three to give Nebraska a double digit lead. Another Nebraska basket brought the half to a close.
Nebraska 38 Purdue Fort Wayne 26
The Huskers have improved their field goal shooting to 51% while PFW dropped theirs to 31%. Britt Prince leads the way with 10 points and five assists. Hake and Maupin have seven points each and Hargrove has collected four rebounds.
Third Quarter Notes
Prince got the Huskers off to a fast start and forced a PFW timeout 33 seconds into the half (40-26 Neb). The fast game pace continued but it was the Huskers that turned those trips down the floor into points in the early going. Kennadi Williams is back on the floor, so her injury must have been minor. The Husker lead is 15 at the mid-point of the quarter (47-32).
One of the PFW starters picked up her fourth foul but the Mastodons have closed within 12 (49-37 Neb), after trailing by as much as 17. Hailey Weaver is the only Husker in foul trouble as she picked up her third with two minutes left. As much as the first portion of this quarter belonged to Nebraska, the second portion went to PFW as they closed within 10 on a buzzer beater.
Nebraska 54 Purdue Fort Wayne 44
Fourth Quarter Notes
The Mastodons continued their run into the fourth quarter and closed within seven before the Huskers found an answer down low (56-47 Neb). Amiah Hargrove is keeping theHuskers afloat right now. Oh wait, Logan Nissley has entered the chat with 11 points so far in the quarter.
The Huskers are making hay as their lead grew to 18 (71-53) with four minutes left in the game. The Mastodons start to foul with two minutes left and trailing by 23 (76-53 Neb). The Huskers broke the 80-point mark for the 7th time this season.
Final. Nebraska 80 Purdue Fort Wayne 57
Next Game
Nebraska will play the winner of the Virginia and Northwestern State matchup. The game will tipoff Tuesday, November 25 at 7:30 pm (central).
