Nebraska Cornhuskers at Northwestern Wildcats

Petteway leads Nebraska past Northwestern, 53-49

Walter Pitchford added 15 points, nailing three 3-pointers, and the Cornhuskers (12-10, 4-6 Big Ten) picked themselves up after getting blown out by Michigan earlier in the week.

They trailed by six after an ugly first half and blew an eight-point lead late in the second but managed to pull this one out.

Northwestern (12-12, 5-6) had just scored eight straight to tie it at 44 when Pitchford hit two free throws and a 3 to make it a five-point game with 2:25 left.

Then, after two free throws by the Wildcats' JerShon Cobb, Petteway nailed a 3 with 22 seconds left to make it a six-point game. Northwestern's Sanjay Lumpkin answered with one of his own, but the Cornhuskers hung on.

Petteway hit just 5 of 16 shots and committed five turnovers. But he also grabbed eight rebounds and helped contain Drew Crawford.

Pitchford was 3 of 4 from long range, and the Cornhuskers wound up shooting 40.4 percent in the game after a horrible start.

Cobb scored 14 for Northwestern, which had won five of seven. Crawford finished with 13 points but was just 4 of 13 from the field. He also turned the ball over five times.

Even so, he led the charge as Northwestern wiped out a 44-36 deficit late in the game.

Crawford hit back-to-back 3s and Demps tied it on a layup with just less than 4 minutes left. But Pitchford and Petteway came through down the stretch for Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers appeared on their way to a loss trailing 22-16 at the half.

The 16 points were a season low in a half. They were just 6 of 24 from the field while missing 9 of 11 3-pointers. Petteway, who came in averaging 17.5 points, hit just 1 of 7 shots and committed four turnovers.

Northwestern had its issues, too, shooting just over 38 percent.

How can I watch Nebraska vs. Northwestern?

• TV Channel: Nebraska at Northwestern 2021 College Basketball, week 14, is broadcasted on ESPNU.
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