Basketball Big Ten Men's Scores and Standings (12/22)

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December 22
#24 Michigan 89, Purdue Fort Wayne 58
Illinois 80, Missouri 77
Wisconsin 76, Detroit Mercy 53
USC 82, Southern 51
Nebraska 66, Murray State 49

Standings
1. Michigan (9-3, 2-0)
1. Michigan State (10-2, 2-0)
1. UCLA (10-2, 2-0)
4. Nebraska (8-2, 1-1)
4. Illinois (8-3, 1-1)
4. Indiana (9-3, 1-1)
4. Cockeye (9-3, 1-1)
4. Maryland (10-2, 1-1)
4. Northwestern (9-3, 1-1)
4. Ohio State (8-4, 1-1)
4. Oregon (11-1, 1-1)
4. Penn State (10-2, 1-1)
4. Purdue (8-4, 1-1)
4. Rutgers (7-5, 1-1)
4. USC (9-4, 1-1)
16. Minnesota (7-5, 0-2)
16. Washington (8-3, 0-2)
16. Wisconsin (10-3, 0-2)

Games for Monday, December 23
Seattle at Washington (9:00 PM - BTN)
Nebraska vs. Charlotte/Hawaii (at Honolulu) (9:30 PM - ESPN2)

 

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Huskers Race Past Murray State
Huskers.com

Andrew Morgan and Connor Essegian combined for 27 points off the bench, while Nebraska’s defense held Murray State to a season-low point total in a 66-49 win in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Sunday evening.

Morgan posted his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Essegian led Nebraska (8-2) with 15 points, including five 3-pointers. In all, NU’s bench outscored the Racers, 29-11.

The Huskers held Murray State to 31 percent shooting, including just 4-of-28 in the first half as Nebraska built a 20-point halftime lead and led by double figures most of the night. NU held the Racers (6-5) to nearly 30 points below their season average.
Rollie Worster was the third Husker in double figures with 11 points, as Nebraska shot nearly 50 percent from the field and enjoyed a 40-26 advantage on the glass.

Nebraska will play the winner of Hawai’i/Charlotte Monday at 9:30 p.m. (central) on ESPN2 and on the Husker Sports Network.

Nebraska put on a defensive clinic in the first half, holding Murray State to just four field goals in the opening 20 minutes in building a 34-14 halftime lead. Nebraska held the Racers to 4-of-28 shooting from the field, including 1-of-13 inside the arc.

Juwan Gary got the Huskers scoring seven of NU’s first nine points in the first 5:15 of the game, as his 3-point play with 14:45 left in the half ignited a 16-0 spurt for Nebraska. The Huskers held MSU scoreless for over six minutes in building a 22-4 lead after a steal and basket from Brice Williams.

Murray State rallied behind Kylen Milton, who scored seven straight points in a 50-second span, including a four-point play to trim the lead to 22-11 with 7:44 left in the half.

Nebraska, which got 17 first-half points from its bench, responded with a pair of 3-pointers from Essegian, who finished with nine first-half points. Nebraska stretched the lead to 20 after consecutive baskets from Morgan.

The Huskers built its largest lead of the game, at 39-16 following a Williams’ 3-pointer with 18:50 left before the Racers started to chip away. Murray State cut a 21-point lead to 16 following a 3-pointer from AJ Ferguson with 14:26 left before a Braxton Meah dunk ended the run.

The teams would trade baskets and NU led 57-38 with just over seven minutes left before the Racers, who shot 48 percent from the field after halftime made one last run. MSU went on an 11-4 run to pull to within 61-49 on a 3-pointer from Kylen Milton with 3:33 left, but would get no closer as a jumper by Wooster and Essegian’s fifth 3-pointer of the night accounted for the final margin.

Milton led Murray State with 19 points in a losing effort.

 

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*-Nebraska picks up its first-ever win over Murray State, as NU was 0-2 against the Racers before today.

*-Nebraska held Murray State to a season-low 49 points, as its previous low was 63 against Evansville.
Murray State was averaging 78.8 points per game.

*-Nebraska held Murray State to 30.9 percent shooting, the sixth opponent held under 40 percent this season.

*-Nebraska finished +14 on the boards, and has only been out-rebounded once in 10 games this season.

*-Andrew Morgan recorded his first double-double of the season and fifth of his career with 12 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. It was the first double-double for a Husker this season. Morgan has been in double figures in his last four games.

*-Connor Essegian (15) and Andrew Morgan (12) both finished in double figures, as Nebraska has gotten 11 double-figure efforts from its bench this season. Nebraska’s bench out-scored Murray State, 29-11

*-Essegian hit five 3-pointers in the win, the third time this season he has hit five or more 3-pointers.

*-Nebraska’s 16-0 run in the first half was its largest run the season and ninth double-figure run of 2024-25

*-Murray State’s 14 first-half points were the second-lowest total allowed by Nebraska under Fred Hoiberg (11 vs. South Carolina State last season).

*-Brice Williams was held to nine points, snapping a streak of 13 double-figure games.

 

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	1st	2nd	TOTAL
Nebraska	34	32	66
Murray State	14	35	49

Nebraska	STATS	Murray State
26-53 (49.1%)	FG	17-55 (30.9%)
6-17 (35.3%)	3FG	7-27 (26.0%)
8-9 (88.9%)	FT	8-15 (53.3%)
40	Rebounds	26
12	Fouls	12
6	Assists	7
15	Turnovers	10
4	Blocks	3
6	Steals	5
32	Pts in Paint	18
7	Pts off Turnovers	7
8	2nd Chance Pts	8
4	Fast Break Pts	7
29	Bench Pts	11

SCORING

NEBRASKA
Connor Essegian - 15
Andrew Morgan - 12
Rollie Worster - 11
Juwan Gary - 9
Brice Williams - 9
Berke Buyuktuncel - 6
Braxton Meah - 2
Sam Hoiberg - 2
TOTAL - 66

MURRAY STATE
Kylen Milton - 19
AJ Ferguson - 8
JaCobi Wood - 7
KyeRon Lindsay - 6
Alden Applewhite - 5
Terence Harcum - 3
Nick Ellington - 1
TOTAL - 49