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Nebraska

Fred Hoiberg credits Jamarques Lawrence, team rallying in 'gutsy' win over Indiana

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko01/10/26nickkosko59

Fred Hoiberg and Nebraska overcame a 16-point deficit Saturday and beat Indiana 83-77 in Big Ten play. The No. 10 Huskers remained undefeated and improved to 16-0.

After a great start, Indiana responded in Bloomington. Maybe it’s the buzz of the football program, but the Hoosiers (now 12-4), were humming. 

But Hoiberg and the Huskers showed why this team is thinking about a conference title and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament later this season. Trailing 51-35 in the second half, Nebraska outscored Indiana 48-26 the rest of the way.

“We did have a great start,” Hoiberg told Big Ten Network’s Bruce Weber on the broadcast. “That’s what we talked about coming into this one. It’s what has allowed us to survive the other two road wins that we’ve had against Illinois and against whoever the hell else we had, Ohio State. 

“So you know, but the resolve of this team, it just keeps showing up. And that’s we talked about in the locker room. It was nine point game, Jamarques Lawrence was unbelievable. He was exhausted out there, and we started finding a way to get some deflections early on. We had seven deflections in the first five minutes, and then it was non existent for a while, when they made their run, and then we got it going again.”

Lawrence was indeed unbelievable. He finished as Nebraska’s leading scorer with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists. He was five-of-eight from downtown.

“Yeah, in every possible way, he was great out there,” Hoiberg said. “Ran the show for us, getting pressure. We didn’t give him a rest there in the second half, he was expending so much energy, but I told him to suck all the air out of the building before I take him out. Just as good as he was playing in the rhythm he was in. But you know, that’s a gutty win by our guys. And you know, you go down 16, you have adversity. You’re coming off two really emotional games. Find a way to bounce back and get another big one.”

To add to Hoiberg’s point, Rienk Mast and Pryce Sandfort also put up double digits with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Braden Frager also had 11 points in 20 minutes off the bench.

The Huskers will be back in action in three days. They’ll host Oregon at 9:00 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.