Nebraska basketball improves to 20-0 with comeback victory over Minnesota
Nebraska basketball (20-0, 9-0) took care of Minnesota on Saturday to keep its undefeated season alive. The Huskers bounced back from a rough first half, dominating the final 20 minutes on their way to a 76-57 victory.
Sam Hoiberg kept Nebraska alive early, scoring 14 crucial points in the first half while the rest of the team struggled. Pryce Sandfort had a slow start but finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds thanks to a monster second half. Jamarques Lawrence added 14 points and five assists of his own.
The Huskers shot 48% from the field and 32% from deep in the victory. Eight blocks and five steals made a huge difference, highlighting a strong second-half defensive performance. Minnesota went off for nine 3-pointers in the first half but went 0-for-11 in the second.
Here is an instant recap of the victory:
Hoiberg keeps Gophers at bay
Nebraska was lucky to only face a six-point deficit at halftime. After 14 minutes of back-and-forth basketball, the Gophers found their stroke from deep. A firestorm ensued.
Minnesota knocked down a whopping nine 3-pointers in the first half while shooting at a 45% clip. The Huskers, in comparison, made just two. Both came from Sam Hoiberg in the first six minutes.
Hoiberg single-handedly carried Nebraska’s offense with eight of its first 12 points. Nobody else could find an offensive groove. After the under-16 timeout, Minnesota went nearly three minutes without a point. That didn’t stop them from heaving 3-pointers.
The Huskers led 18-12 with 12:21 remaining, but scored just two points over the next five minutes. Jared Garcia had a rough start after checking in, missing his first three shots and committing two quick fouls. Three straight Nebraska turnovers resulted in a three-minute scoring drought before Garcia fed it inside to a cutting Rienk Mast.
Nebraska maintained a slim 20-17 lead at the under-eight timeout. Minnesota had missed six straight FGs and was shooting just 32% from the field. That trend didn’t last long.
Kai Shinholster knocked down a 3-pointer to end Minnesota’s five-minute FG drought. With 4:52 left in the half, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson drilled another to give the Gophers their first lead of the day, 24-22.
Hoiberg responded at the other end off a no-look assist from Berke Buyuktuncel, but Minnesota kept things rolling with its third triple in two minutes.
Crocker-Johnson still had the hot hand out of the under-four timeout. He drilled his third 3-pointer to put Minnesota up 30-24. Hoiberg answered yet again at the other end, but Crocker-Johnson wasn’t fazed. His fourth triple gave the Gophers a 33-26 lead, its largest of the day. Bobby Durkin hit Minnesota’s ninth 3-pointer of the half with 40 seconds left, and the Huskers went into the locker room trailing 36-30.
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Hoiberg had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the half. Mast was the only other Husker with more than four points, as Pryce Sandfort took just two shots. Six blocks helped Nebraska stick around.
Sandfort blows it open
Sandfort finally hit a 3-pointer early in the second half. Five straight points from the junior helped Nebraska put together a 7-0 run to pull within one, 42-41.
Cale Jacobsen put Nebraska back on top 44-42 with a corner 3-pointer. He put together a solid afternoon, with seven points and three rebounds in 25 minutes. Minnesota’s offense went completely cold, scoring just two points over a six-minute stretch.
Lawerence hit his first 3-pointer and Buyuktuncel followed with a layup to force a Minnesota timeout with 10 minutes remaining. A 14-2 run put the Huskers up 53-44 as they regained all momentum.
The Gophers scored four straight points out of the break, clawing within five, but Sandfort answered with a massive counter punch at the other end. His 12th point of the half gave Nebraska a 56-48 lead at the under-eight timeout.
Sandfort kept his foot on the gas. After Lawrence knocked down three free throws, Sandfort buried back-to-back triples to all-but put Minnesota away. The once-rowdy crowd inside Williams Arena went quiet.
The Huskers led by as many as 19 points as they outscored Minnesota 46-21 in the second half. Nebraska kept its magical season rolling, improving to 20-0 ahead of a huge showdown with Michigan.
