Nebraska 53, Northwestern 49: Terran Petteway tallied 17 points and eight rebounds as the Cornhuskers downed the Wildcats to snap a 12-game road losing streak.

Walter Pitchford drained three 3-pointers en route to a career-high 15 points for Nebraska (12-10, 4-6 Big Ten), which shot 56.5 percent from the floor in the second half after converting at a 25-percent rate in the opening 20 minutes. The Cornhuskers improved to 11-2 in games decided by five or fewer points under second-year coach Tim Miles.

JerShon Cobb finished with 14 points to pace Northwestern (12-12, 5-6), which had won four of its previous five contests. Drew Crawford added 13 points and six boards for the Wildcats as they failed to crawl over .500 through 11 conference games for the first time since 2003-04.

Northwestern held Nebraska to a season-low 16 points in the first half, but could establish nothing more than a six-point edge. The Cornhuskers adjusted their offensive attack thereafter, involving slow-footed Wildcats center Alex Olah on a number of pick-and-rolls that allowed Pitchford and Petteway to combine for Nebraska’s first 14 points of the second half and eventually build a 40-32 lead with 8 ½ minutes left.

Crawford brought Northwestern back with eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, before Tre Demps knotted it at 44 on a jumper with just under four minutes remaining. Pitchford responded with five straight points while Petteway drilled a 3-pointer with 29 seconds to go and hit a free throw 14 seconds later to put the game away.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Nebraska improved to 3-22 in Big Ten road contests. … Northwestern has not enjoyed a winning record in Big Ten play at any point of the season since 2005-06. … The Wildcats managed only four offensive rebounds – the fourth straight game they have grabbed five or fewer.