By Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune –
NDIANAPOLIS — The night started with an enthusiastic ovation for Robbie Hummel and ended with Purdue fans singing Happy Birthday to the forward as he walked off the court.
The rest of the roster had reason to celebrate as well.
The sixth-seeded Boilermakers tied a Big Ten tournament record with 13 3-pointers Thursday night in the first round at Bankers Life Fieldhouse en route to a 79-61 blowout against 11th-seeded Nebraska, prompting Purdue to think about future success.
“The last five or six games we’ve played extremely well,” said Hummel, who scored 10 points. “You want to peak at the end of the season and gain momentum for the NCAA tournament.”
First, the Boilermakers will have to get by third-seeded Ohio State in Friday’s quarterfinal.
They made 52 percent of their perimeter shots against Nebraska and connected on 56 percent of field goals overall to lead by as many as 20 points in the second half.
Five of the eight Boilermakers who recorded minutes scored in double digits, led by guard Anthony Johnson’s 17 points off the bench.
“I just try to come in and be aggressive and give us some energy,” he said.
Purdue (21-11) used an early 17-0 run to quiet the Cornhuskers, who started the game with a quick 6-2 burst. The 11th-seeded Cornhuskers (12-18) have lost nine of their last 10 games, making a quick exit from their first Big Ten tournament.
Guard Bo Spencer led Nebraska with 22 points on 7 of 16 shooting, and the Cornhuskers connected on 41.5 percent of shots. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the hot-handed Boilermakers.
