Defense Propels Huskers Past No. 15 Bruins
Huskers.com
Behind four Huskers in double figures, the Nebraska men’s basketball team won its sixth straight game with a 66-58 win over No. 15 UCLA Saturday afternoon.
The Huskers (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) took control with a 17-6 surge after UCLA pulled to within 36-34 with 13:35 left. NU held the Bruins to two field goals over a stretch of nearly five minutes and built a 53-40 lead on
Juwan Gary’s third 3-pointer of the afternoon.
UCLA made a run of its own and got within 61-58 after a layup by Dylan Andrews with 24.3 seconds left, but
Sam Hoiberg was fouled and made both free throws to push it back to a five-point game. On UCLA’s next possession, Andrews drove in for a layup, but it was blocked by Gary and Hoiberg got the rebound before getting it to Williams, who hit both free throws to put the game out of reach.
Nebraska went 25-of-29 from the foul line in the win, including 21-of-25 in the second half to offset 33 percent shooting.
The Huskers, who tied a school record with their 20th consecutive home win, held UCLA to 58 points, the Bruins second-lowest total of the season and just 38.6 percent shooting. NU also forced 15 Bruin turnovers which led to 17 Husker points.
Brice Williams scored a game-high 16 points for Nebraska while
Andrew Morgan had 12 off the bench, including five straight after UCLA took a 32-31 lead early in the second half.
Rollie Worster added 11 points and four rebounds while Gary added 10 points for Nebraska, which knocked off its second ranked team of the season.
The first half was a battle that saw both teams enjoy significant runs but ended up in a 24-all deadlock. As expected, it was a defensive battle, as Nebraska held UCLA to 33 percent, while the Bruins limited the Huskers to 30.8 percent from the field.
The teams traded runs throughout the half, as Nebraska had runs of 15-0 and 9-0, while the Bruins had a 15-0 run of their own as well as a 7-0 spurt in the opening 20 minutes.
The Huskers trailed 7-0 before mounting a comeback, as a 3-pointer from Williams started a 15-0 Husker run over the next 5:42 to help the hosts build a 15-7 lead after a Hoiberg basket with 9:56 left in the half. Hoiberg finished with seven points, two assists and three steals off the bench as the Husker reserves combined for 23 points.
The Bruins responded with a 15-0 surge over the next five-plus minutes, extending their lead to 22-15 after a Kobe Johnson basket at the 5:09 mark. Nebraska came right back with nine straight points coming from Worster and Williams to put NU up 24-22 with 1:11 left in the half.
UCLA led 32-31 on a Skyy Clark jumper with 16:00 left before Morgan helped Nebraska regain the lead for good. The senior forward had a 3-point play and a steal and layup capping a 5-0 run that staked the Huskers a 36-32 lead. UCLA pulled to within a pair after a pair of free throws from Lazar Stefanovic before Williams hit four straight free throws to start Nebraska’s surge.
Tyler Bilodeau led UCLA with 15 points, as he was 6-of-9 from the field. Stefanovic added 10 points off the bench while Kobe Johnson added eight points and 11 rebounds.
The Huskers will hit the road to face the Cockeye Cockeyes at 7 p.m. (CT) on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The game will be streamed on Peacock with audio coverage from the Huskers Radio Network.
