Sophomore center Dererk Pardon once again dominated Nebraska like few players have over the last two seasons, and Northwestern pulled away in the final five minutes for a 73-61 win over the Huskers at a steamy Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston.
The loss was Nebraska’s fifth in a row. Northwestern’s fifth consecutive win gave the Wildcats (17-4, 6-2) their best eight-game conference start since the 1943-44 season.
The 12-point final margin with the first Nebraska game decided by double digits since the Huskers’ 89-72 loss at Kansas Dec. 10. Northwestern led by as many as 19 until Nebraska scored seven points in the game’s final 38 seconds.