Associated Press, February 20, 2018

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) James Palmer scored 15 points Tuesday night as Nebraska beat Indiana 66-57, allowing the Huskers the resume their NCAA Tournament pursuit.

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Nebraska (21-9, 12-5 Big Ten) bounced back from a Sunday loss at Illinois that stopped a six-game winning streak. Isaac Copeland added 13 points, and Isaiah Roby contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.

Indiana (16-13, 9-8) had a four-game winning streak snapped, hurting itself with 19 turnovers.

Indiana started a 10-2 run in the second half with back-to-back 3-point plays by Justin Smith and Juwan Morgan, taking a 41-37 lead with 13:50 remaining. Nebraska answered with 10 straight, including a 3-point play and two free throws by Evan Taylor, and led the rest of the way.

The Huskers, who tied a school record with their 12th conference win, finished off the Hoosiers when Palmer had two free throws and a dunk during an 8-0 run that made it 64-53 with 1:51 remaining.

Smith and Robert Johnson paced Indiana with 16 points apiece.

Indiana somehow emerged with a halftime lead despite a shaky first 20 minutes, going ahead 26-25 after Devonte Green and Johnson scored on hard drives in the final 90 seconds. Nebraska had a chance to regain the lead it held for much of the first half, but Roby missed a 3-point shot as time ran out.

Nebraska had taken a 25-22 lead on a 3-point basket by Thomas Allen with 1:52 remaining, but the Huskers made just 3 of 15 from behind the arc in the first half and did not attempt a free throw.

Indiana also hurt itself with nine turnovers but never trailed by more than five points in the half, facing its largest deficit at 9-4 after a Roby dunk.

BIG PICTURE

Indiana: The Hoosiers had built some late-season momentum by beating four consecutive Big Ten lower-division teams. They will try to rebound with a Friday night home game against Ohio State that concludes their regular-season schedule.

Nebraska: The NCAA tourney hopes remain fragile, but Nebraska picked itself up nicely after its costly loss at Illinois. The play of Palmer, a junior, continues to be an important part of one of the Huskers' best seasons in years.

UP NEXT

Indiana hosts Ohio State on Friday

Nebraska hosts Penn State on Sunday