Kopp, Northwestern hang on to beat Nebraska 62-57

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Miller Kopp scored 15 points, and Northwestern snapped a five-game losing streak, hanging on to beat Nebraska 62-57 Saturday.

Northwestern (6-9, 1-4 Big 10) led by as much as 18 in the first half and came out on top after things got close in the final minutes. Nebraska’s Cam Mack nailed a 3 from the right to cut it to 60-57 with 51 seconds left. After the Wildcats’ Pete Nance missed from beyond the arc, Pat Spencer blocked a potential tying 3 from the wing by Dachon Burke Jr. Kopp then made two free throws with nine seconds left to seal Northwestern’s first win since Dec. 15 against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

Spencer scored 14, and Northwestern matched a season high by making 10 of 29 3-pointers.

Nebraska (7-9, 2-3) simply came out flat after a win over Iowa that might have been its best performance. And coach Fred Hoiberg took the loss in his first game in the Chicago area since the NBA’s Bulls fired him early last season.

Mack scored 11 for the Cornhuskers, who shot just 31.3% and made 9 of 30 3-pointers.

Northwestern led by as much as 18 in the first half and took a 42-27 edge to the locker room after nailing 8 of 14 from beyond the arc, a big improvement for a team that ranked 11th in the Big Ten in 3-point accuracy.

Spencer scored 14, A.J. Turner 11 and Robbie Beran added 10 points. Back-to-back 3’s by Kopp made it 42-24 before Kevin Cross hit one for Nebraska with just under a minute left in the half.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: This was simply a disappointing performance for Nebraska coming off the win over Iowa.

Northwestern: Consider this a confidence-boosting win for the young Wildcats, who hung on in this one after blowing a 10-point lead against Indiana on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers will try to get back to winning when they visit No. 11 Ohio State on Tuesday.

Northwestern: The Wildcats will try to make it back-to-back wins when they host Iowa on Tuesday.