Northwestern paid Nebraska a visit Saturday afternoon, looking to keep the momentum from its overtime win against Rutgers going in the Big Ten’s westernmost city.

The Wildcats (11-10, 4-8 Big Ten) did just that, punishing the Cornhuskers (6-17, 0-12 Big Ten) 87-63 behind 27 points and three assists from junior guard Boo Buie.

Buie put NU on the board with a layup 15 seconds into the contest, followed by a three-pointer from senior forward Pete Nance. Nebraska responded with five unanswered points to tie the game before redshirt junior guard Chase Audige hit a three of his own.

The Cats and Cornhuskers, already three-happy, began to hit midway through the first half. Guard CJ Wilcher splashed a three for Nebraska, only for sophomore guard Ty Berry to respond with a pair of shots from distance. Buie added a three to give NU a 19-13 advantage at the under-12. The Cats ran off seven straight points before the Cornhuskers scored again and led 33-20 at the under-eight.

Coach Chris Collins’s squad kept the pedal to the metal right up until the intermission, as Buie hit three more threes and NU maintained a 49-27 lead at the break.

Buie almost immediately resumed his dominance in the second half, burying two threes in the first 52 seconds. A 6-0 run briefly brought Nebraska within 20, but the Cats shook off the Cornhuskers’ early push, outscoring them 38-36 in the second and securing a much-needed victory.

Takeaways

• Northwestern starts with a three-for-all

The Wildcats came out firing, attempting 23 threes in the first half and making 10. Those numbers alone represented their largest volume of three-point attempts and makes in a game since Jan. 23 at Purdue. The unexpected three-point barrage put Nebraska on its heels and opened up opportunities for the sharpshooting Berry, who registered his highest point total since Jan. 9 at Ohio State.

• At last, NU closes one out

Much has been made of the Cats’ aversion to holding second-half leads in 2022, but today they had no such issues. NU never let the Cornhuskers get closer than 55-35 in the second half, wrapping up its second straight Big Ten win and sending Nebraska to its 12th conference defeat in 12 games.

• What Bryce glory?

Nebraska guard Bryce McGowens has been a hot name in NBA circles, frequenting a number of publications’ mock drafts as a freshman. The Cats, however, clamped down on the South Carolina native. McGowens hit his first field goal 2:10 into the second half and finished 2-for-8 from the field. He closed with 10 points, three rebounds and an assist.

Related stories:

• Men’s Basketball: Northwestern edges out Rutgers in overtime 79-78 after worrisome second half
• Men’s Basketball: Veteran savvy keeps Northwestern’s compass pointing north in narrow overtime win
• Rapid Recap: Northwestern 79, Rutgers 78 (OT)

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Twitter: @pandres2001