Nebraska had a slow start, finding itself down for a majority of the first half, but a second-half explosion propelled the team to victory.
The Huskers took the court for the first time in the regular season against West Georgia. Nebraska came out with a demanding 86-53 win. 12 different Huskers saw court time, with 11 players scoring.
Here are three takeaways from the victory:
Frager is the real deal
The hometown Husker picked up right where he left off. 6-foot-7 Frager provided a spark to the struggling offense with a 3-pointer with just under 12 minutes left in the first half. The redshirt freshman guard tied the game for Nebraska after converting two free throws with four minutes left in the half.
Frager really caught the fans’ attention when he slammed down an and-one dunk seven minutes into the second half, and another slam off an alley oop from senior guard Jamarques Lawrence a few minutes later. The freshman showed few signs of his youth despite it being his first regular-season game.
“I love the 22 points, 8-for-11, a very efficient offensive game, but what I really liked was his physicality on the defensive end,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said postgame. “When he gets it going like that, you see his athleticism.”
He ended the game with a team-high 22 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. The 22 points are the third-most points by a freshman in the regular season in Nebraska men’s basketball history.
Scoring troubles early on
The Huskers had a concerning five-point lead at the half. If it weren’t for a late six-point run in the final minute, they would have been losing to a bottom-tier FCS team that went 6-25 in the ASUN conference a season ago.
“We were a little too impatient; we were taking quick shots in the first half,” Lawrence said.
At the 12:40 mark in the first half, Nebraska had only shot 2-for-13 and 0-for-5 from deep. The struggles continued all the way until the final minutes of the half. The Huskers scored 19 of their 30 points in the final 8 minutes before heading back to the locker room at halftime.
Nebraska ended the half shooting at a 31% clip. It was 3-for-14 from deep, with two of the 3-pointers coming out of the hands of Frager.
“We didn’t play very smart in the first half, and they made us pay,” Hoiberg said. “Once we calmed down and got back to who we are, we were fine.”
After breaking out for 18 points against Midland, starting forward Pryce Sandfort was ice cold in the first half, shooting 0-for-4 in his 15 minutes of action. He wasn’t the only player without a made field goal, as three of his teammates shot 0-for through the first 20 minutes.
Lawrence is welcomed back
The senior guard made his first regular-season appearance since his departure to Rhode Island. The Huskers’ point guard had a slow start, but caught fire once the second half came around.
6-foot-3 Lawrence shot 5-of-8 from behind the arc. 14 of his 18 points came in the second half when he exploded for four 3-pointers in the first seven minutes of the half.
“I thought he was terrific,” Hoiberg said. “He got in really good rhythm. I thought his balance was really on point.”
Lawrence ended the night with 18 points, six assists, two rebounds and a steal. The senior facilitated the offense at a high level throughout his 26 minutes of action.