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Rienk Mast's Career Night Leads Nebraska Over Ohio State
It was Rienk Mast night against Ohio State at Pinnacle Bank Arena Tuesday. The Bradley transfer exploded for 34 points and 10 rebounds, leading Nebraska to a massive 83-69 win over the Buckeyes.
Mast's 34 points are a career high for the Dutchman and marked the second time since 2010 that a Nebraska forward notched 30-plus points. The first was Teddy Allen, who tied the school scoring record in a home game with 41 points against Penn State in 2021.
The win raises the Huskers to fourth place in the Big Ten standings and 15-5 on the year. NU also improved its home record to an impressive 13-1. The win marks NU's fourth straight Big Ten home victory and puts the Big Red back on track for an NCAA Tournament appearance.
CJ Wilcher also had a great night, tossing in four 3s as part of a 16-point performance. Wilcher’s shots were massive for the scoreboard's sake and for momentum. His buckets, especially down the stretch, stopped OSU runs and brought a raucous Pinnacle Bank Arena crowd into the game.
The Huskers did an incredible job of battling through adversity. Anytime OSU began a run and grabbed momentum, NU put out the fire and responded with a bigger run of its own. The Huskers proved once again that beating them at Pinnacle Bank Arena is a tall task, but what remains to be seen is if they can carry performances like Tuesday night on the road.
How it went down
Ohio State came out firing Tuesday night. The Buckeyes' consistent ball movement and aggressive moves to the basket made it difficult for the Huskers to keep up. OSU, a big, physical team, made it a point to target the Husker's smaller defenders like Keisei Tomimaga and jumped ahead of NU 22-13 through eight minutes of play.
Then, the Huskers flipped a switch.
Nebraska’s defense settled down, made possessions tough, and found offense in Wilcher and Mast. Wilcher hit a smooth jumper, followed by a Sam Hoiberg steal, and then an ensuing Wilcher three cut the OSU lead in half. After another steal and a bucket from freshman Eli Rice, NU narrowed the gap to one.
The two sides traded buckets until the Buckeye’s O caught a rut. OSU made one field goal in the final five minutes of the first half. During the OSU drought, Mast caught fire. The Dutch forward rattled in 11 points, leading his squad on a 17-5 run and into the locker room up 43-35.
Mast hit three 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes of play and was not done there. Mast hit three more in the second half and finished the game with a career-high 34 points.
The second half began similarly to half one. Ohio State’s offense looked smooth and composed, walking into knocking down shots. The Buckeyes cut the lead to three early, but Wilcher again shut it down. The junior from Plainfield, New Jersey, hit back-to-back threes, catapulting the Husker lead to 52-43.
Then, Mast took over -- again.
Over eight minutes, Mast scored 19 of the Big Red’s 24 points. Mast’s explosion put NU up 76-59 with four minutes to play. The Huskers did not look back and walked out of Pinnacle Bank Arena with an 83-69 victory. Their next game is on the road Saturday against Maryland.
