Purdue advances to Sunday's B1G Tournament Championship Game

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (WLFI) - Purdue defeated Nebraska 77-64 on Saturday afternoon and for the fifth time in program history the Boilermakers have advanced to the finals of the B1G Tournament as a three seed.

Sam Ostarello scored 18 points, Courtney Moses had 16 and KK Houser added 13 points, eight rebounds, six steals and five assists for the Boilermakers  who improved to 23-8 overall with the victory.

As a team, Purdue shot 44.1 percent from the field after finishing 26-of-59 for the game. The Boilermakers out-rebounded the Huskers 40 to 33, finished with eight steals and collected 17 points off of 14 Nebraska turnovers.

The game, merely the fourth ever played between the two schools, was the first to end with a decision in regulation. Nebraska knocked off Purdue in triple overtime in West Lafayette last year, while the Boilermakers triumphed in double overtime in last year's Big Ten Tournament and in single overtime in Lincoln this season.

The Boilermakers put together an 11-2 run to open a 55-37 lead with 15:26 left in the game. Moses sparked the run with a jumper and closed it out with a fast-break layup.

Nebraska pulled within 10 with 8:54 remaining, but the Boilers responded with a 10-2 run to put the game out of reach. Freshman guard April Wilson hit a 3-pointer which extended the lead to 73-55 with 3:37 to play.

A Purdue win on Sunday would give the Boilermakers nine B1G Tournament titles. Ohio State has the second most tournament titles with four. The Boilermakers will face Michigan State in Sunday's title game.