Huskers Hang On to Remain Unbeaten
Huskres.com
The 10th-ranked Nebraska basketball team remained undefeated Monday night, using a late 9-0 run to defeat Ohio State, 72-69, at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Nebraska led for the majority of the game but found itself trailing 58-57 with under five minutes to play. But the Huskers responded with the decisive 9-0 run to turn the one-point deficit into an eight-point lead with under two minutes to play. Nebraska then held off a late rally by Ohio State to improve to 15-0 on the season and 4-0 in Big Ten Conference play.
It was a balanced night for the Big Red offense as all eight Huskers who played scored at least three points.
Jamarques Lawrence and
Pryce Sandfort each had 11 points while
Rienk Mast scored 12 and
Braden Frager led the Huskers with 15 points. Frager scored nine of his 15 points in the second half, including scoring seven of Nebraska's final nine points down the stretch with a pair of key three-point plays.
Ohio State shot better than Nebraska from the field and the 3-point line, and the Buckeyes enjoyed a 17-8 advantage in points off turnovers. But the Husker reserves outscored the Ohio State bench 22-0, and Nebraska enjoyed a plus-nine advantage on the glass, led by nine rebounds from
Sam Hoiberg, who also paced NU with four assists.
Nebraska shot 44 percent in the game compared to 46 percent for Ohio State, and the Huskers were 8-of-29 from beyond the arc while the Buckeyes were 9-of-26 from the 3-point line. Nebraska had an edge at the free throw line, converting 14-of-17 free throws while Ohio State was just 8-of-13 from the line.
John Mobley Jr. led Ohio State with a game-high 22 points, but the Buckeyes (10-4, 2-2 Big Ten) lost a one-possession game for the third time this season.
The Huskers shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and enjoyed a 21-13 advantage on the glass to take a 38-31 lead at the break. All eight Huskers who saw action broke into the scoring column in the first 20 minutes, including seven from Lawrence and six each from
Berke Buyuktuncel, Hoiberg and Frager.
The Huskers opened the game with a 10-1 run in the first 1:59 game following 3-pointers from Sandfort and Lawrence. The Buckeyes clawed back into the game and were within 15-13 before the Husker bench keyed a 12-0 spurt over the next 3:10 to push the lead back to double figures. NU got 10 of the 12 points in the run from the bench and built a 27-13 advantage following
Cale Jacobsen’s 3-point play at the 8:31 mark.
Mobley had 12 first-half points to keep OSU within striking distance, cutting the lead to five on two occasions, the last being at being at 36-31 with 2:03 left before a Buyuktuncel basket pushed the lead back to seven at the break.
Nebraska continued to lead until Ohio State took its first lead of the game at 49-48 at the midway point of the second half. The Buckeyes built the lead to as large as three before a 7-2 Husker spurt gave Nebraska a one-point advantage with 5:25 remaining. Ohio State answered with a 3-pointer to take its final lead before the Huskers responded with their 9-0 run.
Ohio State did not go away and made it a one-point game with 14 seconds remaining, but Lawrence knocked down a pair of clutch free throws with nine seconds remaining, and the Huskers forced a miss on the Buckeyes' final possession.
The Huskers wrap up a two-game road trip at Indiana this Saturday, Jan. 12. Tipoff in Bloomington is set for 11 a.m. (CT) and the game will be carried on BTN and the Huskers Radio Network.
