Huskers Shoot Past Spartans, 77-70
Photo Credit: NU Athletic Communications
Juwan Gary’s 20 points led four Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska rallied for a 77-70 win over Michigan State Sunday evening.
Gary, making his first start of the season, matched his career high with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, as Nebraska shot 64 percent from the field in the second half and rallied from a 34-31 halftime deficit.
Nebraska (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten) trailed 65-62 after Tyson Walker’s basket with 3:11 remaining before Gary’s jumper and a 3-pointer by Brice Williams with 2:14 left gave NU a 67-65 lead.
The Spartans (4-5, 0-2) tied the score at 67 after a pair of Malik Hall free throws with two minutes left, but Nebraska regained the lead on the next possession after a pair of Keisei Tominaga free throws and got a stop before Rienk Mast’s basket gave NU a 71-67 left with just over a minute remaining.
The Huskers iced the game at the line, going 6-of-6 in the final minute to snap an 11-game losing streak to MSU dating back to 2016.
In addition to Gary, Tominaga finished with 15 while Williams and C.J. Wilcher added 14 and 10 respectively. Williams scored all 14 of his points in the second half, as Nebraska became the first team to shoot 50 percent against Michigan State all season.
Hall finished with 22 for the visitors while Walker had 17 points, including 15 in the second half.
Nebraska wasted little time erasing the halftime deficit, opening the second half on a 11-2 run as the Huskers hit five of their first six shots to build a 42-36 lead after a Tominaga 3-pointer forced a Spartan timeout.
The Huskers went 9-of-11 from the field in the first eight minutes to take a 51-45 lead after a Wilcher 3-pointer, but MSU would not go away.
Trailing 52-47, the Spartans used a 5-0 run to knot the game at 52 with just over 10 minutes remaining, and the game would remain tight the rest of the way.
Walker, who was held to two points in the first half, rallied MSU back from a 56-52 deficit, as he scored 13 straight MSU points in a 13-6 spurt to give the visitors a 65-62 advantage to set the stage for the finish.
The Huskers matched the Spartans in the first half as the half featured 11 lead changes before the Spartans took a 34-31 lead into the break. MSU led by as many as six in the first eight minutes, running off seven straight points to build a 13-6 lead with 12:19 left in the half.
The Huskers trailed 15-9 before getting rolling offensively. NU hit four 3-pointers in a 14-3 spurt as back-ot-back 3-pointers from Sam Hoiberg and C.J. Wilcher gave the Huskers a 23-18 lead. MSU would respond with a 7-0 spurt to regain the lead at 25-23 on a Hall Jumper.
Nebraska eventually led 31-30 on a Rienk Mast basket, but the Spartans held NU scoreless over the final 3:37 and took a three-point lead into the break,
The Huskers return to action after final exams when they travel to Kansas State on Sunday, Dec. 17. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network and on ESPN+
