NU men’s basketball loses Wednesday night game 65-83

The Nebraska men's basketball team hadn't made a trip to the state of Indiana since 1985. In that game the Huskers were unable to take care of the Evansville Purple Aces, losing the game 80-73.

Wednesday night's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., didn't go much better for NU, as it lost 83-65.

In the contest both squads shot more than 50 percent, NU shot 52 percent while Purdue shot 55 percent, but NU coach Doc Sadler thinks PU's ability to play on its offensive end is what cost the Huskers the game.

"Offensively, we did well to go on the road and score 60 points," Sadler said. "But, we had no answer for them defensively. They spread you out; they had three shooters on the floor. They created mismatches.

It's just a difficult team to defend when they've got three perimeter shooters shooting the way they did."

But, it wasn't just from behind the arc where NU struggled on Purdue's end of the floor. The Boilermakers grabbed nine offensive boards and converted them into 16 points while the Huskers only managed a single second-chance bucket.

And that balanced attack is difficult to defend. The only way NU stood a chance was to force Purdue to take perimeter shots, according to Sadler, which is why he had his team played zone for stretches of the game. But, to the demise of the Huskers, Purdue was able to beat the zone by going 13 for 29 from 3-point land.

But, that doesn't mean Sadler was disappointed in his team that shot 27 for 52 in the game and eight for 19 from behind the arc.

In fact, he was proud of his team for its effort even in the face of a hot-shooting Boilermaker squad.

"We didn't just say completely ‘hey to heck with it,' for as well as they was shooting the basketball," Sadler said.

However, the hot shooting was enough to build up momentum on the Boilermakers side. PU did most of its work toward the victory in the first half as it went into the locker room with a 47-30 lead over Nebraska.

During that half, Purdue standout, forward Robbie Hummel, led Purdue with 18 points. His squad shot 63 percent from the field and made seven 3-pointers.

And in the second half, six more 3-pointers gave PU the momentum it needed against NU.

"(Thirteen 3-pointers) is like seven dunk shots and you know this place here got into the game when they made it so you've got to give them credit," Sadler said.

But, that loud atmosphere was something NU's players expected coming into their game at Mackey Arena, a venue that first opened its doors in 1967.

"It's our guys against the whole building, basically," Richardson said before the game. "We've got to stay mentally focused and not get caught up in the emotions of the game."

But despite the hostile environment and the deficit Sadler's squad faced at the end of the first half, he's very proud of how well his team performed for its first trip to the Hoosier state since 1985.

"When you go on the road and teams shoot just as well as you do, you've gotta hang tough and can't get frustrated," Sadler said.

robbykorth@dailynebraskan.com