Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Nebrasketball Defense Badgered in Loss at Wisconsin
Blood dripped from Sam Hoiberg’s finger with 9:20 remaining in the second half. The ball had just been poked free from behind, and as he transitioned to defense, he showed the fresh cut to the officials as play continued for a few seconds until they finally stopped play. There was no foul called, but by then Wisconsin had all but slashed Nebraska’s chances of winning a Big Ten road game.
The Huskers fell 88-72 in Madison on Saturday afternoon. Nebraska (12-3 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) shot the ball well enough to win, but the Huskers' offense overall struggled at times with shot selection, turnovers and offensive fouls. No. 21 Wisconsin (11-3, 3-0) drew blood early and often with its sharp shooting, ending up 55% from the floor and 13-of-26 from beyond the arc.
Keisei Tominaga scored an efficient 17 points on just 10 shots to lead all scorers, knocking down 3-of-6 from long range. Rienk Mast added 16 points and a team-high six rebounds. Brice Williams joined them in double figures with 10 points and led Nebraska with six assists.
For the Badgers, Tyler Wahl provided 17 points, eight boards and four assists. Bellevue West alum Chucky Hepburn scored 13 and dropped six assists. Connor Essegian, averaging just 7½ minutes and 2.5 points per game, buried four triples in a surprising 12-point outburst off the bench.
NU fell behind by 10 points with 10:02 to go in the first half and never got back within single digits for the final 30 minutes. Each time it seemed the Huskers were closing in and ready to make a game of it, Wisconsin was able to answer offensively. A Mast 3-pointer cut it to 11 at 56-45 with less than 18 minutes remaining, but the Badgers knocked down a pair of free throws and nailed a 3-pointer in their next two possessions to re-establish full control of the contest.
Nearly 60% shooting resulted in a 13-point Badger lead at the break, and they led by as many as 20 points in the first half. Nebraska tried to keep pace with 54% shooting, but the Huskers fouled more, turned it over more and rebounded less than their opponents in the first half, trailing statistically across the board.
The Badger bench was big with 23 points before halftime and 36 for the game. NU also allowed 36 points in the paint as Wisconsin frequently drove to the rim with relative ease. The Huskers couldn’t match the Badgers while settling for longer two-point jumpers instead of driving layups.
Juwan Gary, held in check by early foul trouble, finished without a single rebound in 18 minutes. It was his fewest boards since posting just one in 24 minutes in the loss to Creighton in December.
The task doesn’t get any easier for Nebraska as the Huskers will host top-ranked Purdue on Tuesday night inside Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CST.
