Loyer scores 19 points as No. 18 Purdue beats No. 11 Nebraska 74-58 in Big Ten tourney
Purdue players celebrate after center Oscar Cluff (not shown) scored a basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Nebraska in the quarterfinals of the Big 10 Conference tournament, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Chicago. Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh
CHICAGO — Fletcher Loyer scored 19 points, Braden Smith collected 10 more assists and No. 18 Purdue beat No. 11 Nebraska 74-58 on Friday night in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
C.J. Cox and Oscar Cluff each had 12 points for the Boilermakers, and Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Smith set a Big Ten Tournament record and matched a career high with 16 assists in an 81-68 victory over Northwestern on Thursday. The senior guard needs 22 more assists to break Bobby Hurley's NCAA record of 1,076 assists in 140 games for Duke from 1989-93.
Purdue (25-8) advanced to the Big Ten semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years, bouncing back nicely after closing the regular season with four losses in six games. It will play UCLA or No. 8 Michigan State on Saturday.
Pryce Sandford scored 15 points for Nebraska, which dropped to 6-14 all-time in the Big Ten tourney. Rienk Mast finished with 11.
Nebraska (26-6) went 10 for 31 from 3-point range and 12 for 25 from inside the arc.
The Cornhuskers trailed 48-30 with 17 minutes left, and closed within 58-50 on Cale Jacobsen’s driving layup with 6:53 remaining.
Purdue center Oscar Cluff, left, rebounds the ball against Nebraska forwards Pryce Sandfort (21) and Rienk Mast (51) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Big 10 Conference tournament, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Chicago. Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh
The Boilermakers responded with a 14-2 run, capped by Loyer’s 3 and a dunk by Cluff with 3:26 to go. Cox also connected from long range during the decisive stretch.
Purdue beat Nebraska 80-77 in overtime in their regular-season meeting on Feb. 10. Kaufman-Renn grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds in the victory, helping the Boilermakers to a 54-37 advantage on the glass.
Purdue enjoyed a 37-29 rebounding advantage this time around, and outscored Nebraska 26-18 in the paint.
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Purdue lost 69-67 at UCLA on Jan. 20. It also dropped its regular-season meeting with Michigan State, falling 76-74 on Feb. 26.
