Nebraska men’s basketball got back in the win column, grinding out a win against Northwestern, 68-49. The Huskers turned the ball over 18 times, but ran away with the game against the visiting Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. Nebraska improved to 22-3 overall and 11-3 in Big Ten play. Northwestern’s record dropped to 10-16 overall and 2-13 in conference games.
Crisp shooting from outside and consistent defense throughout the game buoyed the home team’s effort. The Big Red outscored the Wildcats 40-22 in the second half following a shaky first half.
“[Northwestern] had a lot to do with those turnovers, but we have to be better,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said in a postgame interview with the Big Ten Network.
Poor shooting and turnovers defined a low-scoring first half for both teams.
Nebraska sharpshooter Pryce Sandfort gave the home crowd life in the first few minutes of the game. The junior hit back-to-back three-pointers to help the Huskers take an early 8-2 lead.
The next few minutes got sloppy. The Cornhuskers turned the ball over four times in a matter of just over two minutes. In the first half, Nebraska turned the ball over 10 times, surpassing its average of 9.1 turnovers per game in half the time. Northwestern also struggled to take care of the ball, giving it away 8 times in the first half.
The defensive intensity from the Wildcats allowed the visitors to take the lead, which built up to eight points around the six-minute mark of the opening period.
The Pinnacle Bank Arena crowd looked on quietly with the score at 20-12 Northwestern.
After missing six straight shot attempts, the Big Red offense woke up. A Braden Frager three took the lid off the rim, which ignited an 8-0 Huskers run over a minute and a half, knotting up the score at 20.
Despite the iffy offensive performance throughout much of the half, Nebraska kept shooting. And it paid off. Braden Frager and Pryce Sandfort both drilled shots from long distance in the final three minutes of the first half, giving their team a 28-27 lead into halftime.
One bright spot for the Cornhuskers was a 22-12 advantage in rebounding in the first 20 minutes, including 10 offensive boards. Hoiberg has continuously harped on physical rebounding this season.
The Huskers outrebounded the Wildcats 40-24 for the game.
“That was a big emphasis the last couple of days,” Hoiberg said.
Just four Big Red players scored in the first half, led by Sandfort with 11 and senior guard Sam Hoiberg with ight points.
Unfortunately for the Huskers, the start of the second didn’t inspire much change. In the first three minutes, Nebraska turned it over three times. That strong defense led to a short spurt from the Wildcats, giving them a 34-30 edge with about 17 minutes remaining in the game.
Going into the first media timeout, the Nebraska offense showed signs of life with a Sandfort three and a layup from senior guard Jamarques Lawrence. The Big Red reclaimed the advantage, 35-34.
A 17-5 Nebraska run shortly after brought the home crowd back into the game. Junior Cale Jacobsen knocked down two three-pointers and scored 8 points during the run. Jacobsen averaged just 4.5 points per contest before Saturday.
Sandfort also started to heat up from three-point range. He hit three shots from distance in the second half on his way to a 29 point effort including 18 points in the final half. Nebraska kept the throttle down, ending the game on a 33-11 run and shot 60% from three in the second period.
Jacobsen neared his career high, finishing with 10 points. Hoiberg added 14 points and did it all with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Now the Huskers will prepare to face rival Iowa on the road Tuesday night for an 8 p.m. scheduled tip-off.