Purdue had its shooting, a fair crowd and plenty of spunk Thursday night – but, just barely, no win.

The Boilers (7-14, 0-10 Big Ten) fell to another Big Ten foe in Nebraska (15-5, 6-3) in Mackey Arena. The home team hoisted 20 attempts from deep and converted 45% of them, led by McKenna Layden.

The sophomore wing hit 4 of her 6 attempts from 3-point range, taking no other shots from the field. Hers and Sophie Swanson's contributions from long range (Swanson was 3-of-4 on 3s), combined with Rashunda Jones' 10-of-10 performance from the free throw line and 20 points overall to give the Boilers an efficient scoring attack. But yet again, turnovers creeped up to spoil the party.

Head coach Katie Gearlds' squad averages the second-worst turnover total in the Big Ten, and coughed up 21 Thursday for a 29-5 disparity in points off turnovers.

Purdue led at halftime, 39-36. Jones couldn't miss in the first half, with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting. The crowd hit peaks of excitement, at one point for a Destini Lombard buzzer-beater to bring her team within a point at the close of the first quarter. Lombard finished with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting in her 26 minutes.

Swanson dominated the second quarter on the way to Purdue's lead. The guard scored 8 of her 11 in the period, hitting a 3 early before pestering her defender into a travel. She'd added more defense minutes earlier, snatching a steal at the close of the first quarter. Later, she drove hard to the right of the basket against a fading shot clock, hanging in the air to shoot a two-handed bank shot and watch it roll in.

Nebraska began the third quarter on a 12-4 run, eventually winning the period 21-14 and erasing its modest deficit. Purdue's dribble penetration slowed against the Cornhusker's pressure at the top of the key. Quality shots were hard to come by, as Jones and Layden led the Boilers in scoring via the 3-point line in Layden's case, and the free throw line in Jones'. The third quarter was Layden's, as she tied Jones for the team lead in scoring with 6 – though Layden's came on just two shots, as she drained 3s a minute apart.

But in the fourth the Cornhuskers' third-leading scorer, guard Britt Prince, erupted for 11 points. Repeatedly freed by ball screens laid by Nebraska's First Team All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski, Prince nailed jumpers and drove her way to the foul line.

Purdue's next challenge is again in Mackey, against Wisconsin Sunday.