Huskers Post 79-66 Win in Opener
Huskers.com

Sam Griesel's 22 points led three Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska used a decisive second-half run to put away Maine, 79-66, in the season opener at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Griesel scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half in his Husker debut, finishing with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting and nine rebounds.

Juwan Gary pitched in a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, including eight offensive boards, while Keisei Tominaga had 19 points off the bench, including 10 during a two-minute first half surge.

Nebraska, which built a 40-28 lead at the break, saw Maine pull to within 54-53 after a 3-pointer from Gedi Jouzapaitis with 13:00 left. That would be as close as it got, as Emmanuel Bandoumel's basket started a 14-1 Husker run, while Griesel and Tominaga combined for nine of the Huskers' points in the run building a 68-54 lead with 8:35 left.

The Huskers clamped down on the defensive end as Maine missed eight straight shots and was 2-of-16 in a nearly 10-minute stretch after opening the half by hitting 10 of its first 12 shots after halftime.

Juozapaitis led the Black Bears with 20 points, including 6-of-7 from 3-point range, while Kristians Feierbergs added 16 points and six rebounds in the loss.

Nebraska jumped out to a blistering start, scoring the first nine points of the contest. Gary,
scored six points in the first 3:04 of the contest, including a trio off offensive boards. The Huskers eventually built a 13-2 lead in the first 6:23 of the before Maine settled in.

The Black Beats pulled to within 28-21 on a Juozapaitis 3-pointer before Tominaga and Griesel combined for seven straight points to push the lead back to 14. Tominaga scored NU's final 10 points of the half, including a 3-pointer that made it 40-25 with 2:24 left in the half.

The Huskers return to action on Thursday, Nov. 10, as Nebraska hosts Omaha at 7 p.m. The intrastate game will be streamed on B1G+, with radio coverage provided by Huskers Radio Network. Tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office during business hours (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5p.m.).

SCORING

Maine
Gedi Juozapaitis - 20
Kristians Feierbergs - 16
Ja'Shonte Wright-McIeish - 9
Kellen Tynes - 8
Peter Filipovity - 4
Jaden Clayton - 3
Milos Nenadic - 3
LeChaun DuHart - 3
TOTAL - 66

Nebraska
Sam Griesel - 22
Keisei Tominaga - 19
Juwan Gary - 14
Wilhelm Breidenbach - 9
C.J. Wilcher - 7
Emmanuel Bandoumel - 6
Blaise Keita - 2
TOTAL - 79

POSTGAME NOTES

- Juwan Gary posted his third career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. His other two came at Alabama during the 2021-22 season. Gary's 11 rebounds were a career-high, as his previous high was 10 on two occasions (vs. Louisiana Tech and vs. Drake, both in 2021-22)

- Gary had eight of the Huskers' 16 offensive rebounds, which was the most by the Huskers since the 2020-21 season opener vs. McNeese State (17). Last year's season high was 14, set twice. Nebraska had 16 second-chance points against Maine.

- Sam Griesel led NU with 22 points in his debut, his 14th career double-figure effort. He is now just two points away from 1,000 in his career

- Nebraska enjoyed a +17 rebounding advantage, the Huskers' best against a Division I opponent since the 2017-18 season.

- Keisei Tominaga reached double figures for the eighth time in his career with 19 points, including 13 in the first half.

- With the win, Nebraska improves to 86-41 all-time in season openers and has won 20 of the past 22 season openers.

- Wilhelm Breidenbach tied a career-high in points (9) and grabbed a career-best seven rebounds in the win