In a game where the defense was the star and both teams’ shooters struggled, Saturday’s matinee matchup between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and #15 UCLA Bruins was sealed by an emphatic rejection. Cornhuskers forward Juwan Gary blocked a layup attempt by Bruins guard Dylan Andrews, and Brice Williams knocked in two free throws to ice the win in Lincoln, 66-58.
Despite a season-worst shooting performance, Brice Williams led all players in scoring with 16 points. Williams only shot 2/12 (16.7%) from the field and 1/5 (20.0%) from beyond the three-point arc, but converted on 11 of his 12 attempts from the free throw line. Forward Tyler Bilodeau led the Bruins in scoring with 15 points on 6/9 shooting.
A Game Of Runs
The first half saw Nebraska and UCLA trade massive runs. The Bruins ran out to a 7-0 lead to open the game, and each team had their own 15-0 run in the half. A combination of turnovers and poor shooting attributed to the extended scoring droughts for each team. Nebraska turned the ball over 9 times in the first half, due in part to UCLA turning to a tight full-court press halfway through the first half.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Bench Shines
On a day when their starters struggled to put the ball in the net, Nebraska’s bench came up with some key buckets that helped them get the win. Three Nebraska reserves played 20 or more minutes and combined for 21 points.
One key sequence in the second half saw reserves Connor Essegian and Andrew Morgan connect on a pivotal bucket. Trailing 32-31 with 14:46 on the clock, Essegian, a 6’4” junior from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, delivered a needle-threading bounce past to a cutting Morgan. Morgan rewarded Essegian’s vision with an assist when he sank a layup while getting fouled. Morgan sank the and-one free throw, giving Nebraska a 34-32 lead. On the ensuing UCLA possession, Morgan picked the pocket of UCLA guard Sebastian Mack and got a transition layup, extending the lead to 36-32. Nebraska wouldn’t give up the lead for the remainder of the game.
Another pivotal bench player in the Cornhuskers’ win was Sam Hoiberg, the son of Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg finished with 7 points, 3 steals, and 2 assists in the game and made a number of high-energy plays throughout the day.
UCLA Bruins Offensive Woes
While both teams went through extended poor shooting stretches, the Bruins’ biggest struggle throughout the night was their inability to make their three-point shots. UCLA shot 4/28 (14.3%) from beyond the arc Saturday, and each half started with the Bruins missing their first six attempts from three-point range. UCLA, playing without leading three-point shooter Eric Daily Jr. due to an injury, simply could not find a consistent shooting form during the game.
Speaking to the media after the game, Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg gave credit to his players for keeping up the defensive effort even when their own shots weren’t falling:
“They just kept guarding. That’s the thing, sometimes you get frustrated. Human nature when the ball’s not going in the basket is that you get frustrated on the other end, and we never let that happen. We continued to guard, we continued to have good activity.”
Turnovers were also a consistent problem for the Bruins during the game. UCLA turned the ball over 15 times throughout the contest, compared to an average of 11.5 turnovers per game coming into the game. Nebraska scored 17 points off of UCLA turnovers. Bruins head coach Mick Cronin spoke on the turnovers after the game:
“If you shoot the ball as poorly as we did, the only chance you have is to take care of the ball. You can’t give up 17 points off your turnovers, you got no chance.”
Starting guard Dylan Andrews in particular struggled, turning the ball over 4 times. Andrews finished with only 2 points on 1-6 from the field.
Big Ten Play Ahead
The loss drops the Bruins to 2-1 in Big Ten play and 11-3 overall this season. Nebraska is now 2-1 within the conference after the win and 12-2 overall.
UCLA will return home for its next matchup, a January 7 fight against the Michigan Wolverines (11-3, 3-0 Big Ten).
Nebraska hits the road for a two-game road trip. They’ll start off with Iowa (10-4, 1-2 Big Ten) on January 7 before heading to West Lafayette, Indiana for a game against #20 Purdue (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten.
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