Dominant second half powers Nebraska to 89-79 win over Duquesne
In a game full of whistles, free throws, and technical fouls, Nebraska found itself in a dogfight against Duquesne on Wednesday night.
Trailing by two to open the second half, the Huskers came out swinging and scored on their first 16 possessions after the break. That sparked a 22-6 run that put NU up by as many as 17, as NU powered through for an 89-79 victory.
Keisei Tominaga posted a season-high 23 points, while Juwan Gary scored a career-high 20 on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench.
Nebraska had 52 points on 52% from the field in the second half for their highest-scoring half of the year. NU also finished with an impressive 18-to-2 turnover-to-assist ratio.
Now at 6-0 on the season, the Huskers have matched their best start since 2008-09 and their longest winning streak since 2018.
Nebraska answered the call
Down 39-37 at halftime, Nebraska had been out-rebounded 22-14 with Duquesne scoring seven points on seven offensive boards.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg made it abundantly clear to his team in the locker room: they needed to step up and fight back.
The Huskers responded by matching the Dukes with 15 rebounds, scoring 18 points in the paint, and converting 21 of 22 free throws in the second half. Along with shooting 52% after the break, they also had 10 assists and zero turnovers over the final 20 minutes.
Facing by far the most adversity it’s seen this season, NU found one way after another to battle and put the game away down the stretch.
“We challenged them (at halftime),” Hoiberg said. “I didn’t like how that first half went, especially on the glass. I thought they beat us to a lot of balls. They made first contact. We didn’t do a good enough job initiating and they took advantage of that…
“We challenged them at halftime, and I give our guys a lot of credit for responding.”
Believe it or not, NU won at the free-throw line
Not long ago, the idea that Nebraska would win a game by dominating at the free-throw line seemed preposterous.
The Huskers, who for years have notoriously been one of poorest shooting teams at the charity stripe, were nearly perfect on Wednesday night. They finished 28-of-31 for the game, a blistering 90% as a team.
Tominaga was 9-of-10, Rienk Mast was 6-of-6, and Josiah Allick went 5-of-7 for NU’s only two misses. The 90% clip was Nebraska’s best free-throw mark since 2018.
The Huskers are now shooting 71.4% on the year while attempting an average of nearly 27 free throws per game. They’ve gone to the at least 22 times in five of their six games this season.
“Some of that is personnel and making that concerted effort of trying to get the ball into the post more,” Hoiberg said. “With the personnel, we should be a team that is a high free throw attempt team.”
NU’s depth was on full display
When all was said and done, five players scored in double figures for Nebraska. All nine who saw the floor had at least two points.
With the game in the balance midway through the second half, it was the Huskers’ reserves who delivered the knock-out blow.
During the better part of NU’s 22-6 run, only one starter – Allick – was on the floor. The rest of the lineup consisted of rotational players Gary, Jarron Coleman, Sam Hoiberg, and C.J. Wilcher.
Nebraska ended with a 27-19 edge in bench scoring. It’s now gotten at least 25 bench points in all six games this season. On top of that, the Huskers’ four bench players – Gary, Wilcher, Hoiberg, and Coleman – all posted a plus/minus of +10 or better.
“(Duquesne) was a great team and they were going to come out there with a spark,” Gary said. “We had to change some things in the second half, so that’s what we did. We came out of the locker room with a chip on our shoulder and fired up, so that second half came with a lot of fire in us.”
They said it
“That Nebraska basketball isn’t something to look over… I just feel like a team like this one, it’s all about love. No guy on this team is selfish. Everybody wants the next person to succeed. That’s why every game that we go out there, it’s always love from anybody that goes onto the court.”
-Forward Juwan Gary on the “statement” Nebraska has made during its 6-0 start.
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