Huskers Fall to No. 21 Wisconsin
Photo Credit: Nebraska Athletic Communications
Keisei Tominaga had a team-high 17 points to lead three Huskers in double figures, but No. 11 Wisconsin hit a season-high 13 3-pointers in an 88-72 victory Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center.
Tominaga hit 7-of-10 shots from the field, including a trio 3-pointers, while Rienk Mast added xx points and six rebounds as Nebraska (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten) saw its five-game win streak snapped.
Tyler Wahl led five Badgers in double figures with 17 points and eight rebounds, as Wisconsin (11-3, 3-0 Big Ten) remained the only unbeaten team in Big Ten play.
Nebraska shot nearly 50 percent from the field, including 12-of-26 from 3-point range, but the Badgers, who have won 10 of their last 11, shot 55 percent from the field, including nearly 60 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
In the first half, Nebraska shot 53 percent from the field, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range, but Wisconsin shot nearly 60 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes in taking a 51-38 halftime lead.
Nebraska, which struggled with foul trouble for a good portion of the half was within 14-12 after a Juwan Gary basket, but the Badgers went on an 8-0 run to build a 22-12 lea after an A.J. Storr basket with 10:58 left in the half to force a Husker timeout.
Wisconsin hit 12 of its first 17 shots to build a 33-17 lead after a Chucky Hepburn 3-pointer with 8:17 remaining in the half. Nebraska chipped away and was within 33-22 after a Brice Williams 3-point play and a drive from Tominaga, but the Badgers responded with a 5-0 run of their own to push the lead back to 16.
Wisconsin, which averaged 6.1 3-pointers per game, had seven in the first half alone, including three from Connor Essegian, who came in averaging 2.5 points per game. UW’s bench accounted for 23 first-half points.
Tominaga had 12 first-half points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Mast had nine markers in the first half.
Nebraska trailed 48-28 with 2:50 left in the half before the Huskers closed the half on a 10-3 spurt to get within 51-38 after an Eli Rice 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half.
Nebraska continued to battle and pulled within 54-45 after a Mast 3-pointer with just under 18 minutes left in the contest. Wisconsin stretched the lead to 19 before the Huskers ran off seven straight points to pull within 66-54 after Juwan Gary’s layup with 11:30 remaining.
Nebraska was within 72-59 after a Mast jumper with just over 10 minutes left, but the Badgers used a 6-0 spurt to push the lead back to 18 and force a Husker timeout with 7:49 left.
The Huskers return home on Tuesday night as they welcome No. 1 Purdue to Pinnacle Bank Arena. A limited number of 300 Level tickets are available and can be purchased by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets, by calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED or at the PBA Box Office beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening.
