Vince Edwards scored 20 points and A.J. Hammons had 12 of his 16 points in the second half, leading No. 15 Purdue to an 81-62 victory over Nebraska on Tuesday night.
The Boilermakers (23-7, 11-6) ended a three-game road losing streak and moved into a tie with Ohio State for sixth in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers (14-16, 6-11) lost their fourth straight.
Shavon Shields scored a season-high 32 points on his senior night for Nebraska.
Purdue used its superior height to dunk eight times and outscored the Huskers 40-28 in the paint. The Boilermakers shot 65 percent in the second half and pulled away after Nebraska pulled within eight points.
Nebraska was within 52-44 with 12 minutes left before the third of Hammons’ five dunks started a 10-2 run that put Purdue up 60-46.
The Boilermakers opened an early 21-point lead and looked as if it would make this one a runaway. Edwards drilled consecutive 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 12 first-half points during a 23-4 run that made it 30-9.
But Shields, who scored 25 points in a loss at Penn State last Thursday in his first game back from a concussion, scored the first seven points and 15 in all during a 24-11 spurt that cut it to 41-33 at halftime.
