×
On Air Now
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Nebrasketball Drops 4OT Marathon at NC State

By Kaleb Henry Dec 1, 2021 | 10:05 PM

Nebraska men’s basketball (5-3) had their opportunities Wednesday in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Those opportunities included a 13 point lead in the second half, a shot at the end of regulation, a shot at the end of the first overtime, and free throws at the end of the second overtime. But two overtimes later—yes, four overtimes—NC State (6-1) stood victorious 104-100.

“That’s a heartbreaker,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. “As far as the fight and the effort, we’re gonna win a lot of games if we play like that.”

The game was the first-ever to reach even three overtimes in the history of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

The Huskers led 61-47 at the midway point of the second half, but a 14-0 Wolfpack run tied the game at 61. Fred Hoiberg called a timeout, and that’s when things got wild.

NC State’s team spilled onto the court for the timeout. Lat Mayen, still near the sideline, and in front of the Wolfpack bench, after defending the shot, was surrounded by the opposition and bumped NC State’s Jericho Hellems with his shoulder as he walked back to the NU huddle.

Cam Hayes retaliated by bumping Mayen, which prompted a shouting match that lasted a minute or so. The teams were separated, and the officials retreated to the monitors to see who was to blame.

Both Mayen and Hayes were ejected. Husker reserves Eduardo Andre and Oleg Kojenets, neither of whom played in the game, were also disqualified for leaving Nebraska’s bench area during the scrum.

With things settled down, the teams played even down to the final minute, where Alonzo Verge had a chance to win at the buzzer.

After an NC State free throw tied the game at 70, Verge took the inbounds pass and sprinted up court. The guard found a lane and got to the rim but the shot missed the mark. Verge did have a defender swipe his arm, but the officials chose to swallow their whistles as the game

“Unfortunately we didn’t get the call,” Hoiberg said.

Neither team scored in the first overtime until the final minute. Tied at 74, Verge again had a chance at a game winner, but his mid-range jumper was no good.

Plenty more scoring in the second overtime as both teams scored double digits.

NC State took an 86-85 lead on a layup with five seconds left. Out of a timeout, Bryce McGowens was fouled near the sideline, sending him to the line.

McGowens made the first free throw to tie the game, but missed the second, sending the game to yet another overtime.

Both teams missed shots in the final 10 seconds of the third overtime, and in the fourth OT, the Huskers clearly ran out of gas as the Wolfpack did enough to take the win.

Verge scored a team-high 25 points, with McGowens right behind at 24.

Keisei Tominaga (16) and Derrick Walker (12) also scored in double figures.

Nebraska shot 41.7 percent for the game, but struggled from deep. The Huskers managed just 9-of-37 3s.

Giving up offensive rebounds was again an issue. The Wolfpack grabbed 24 offensive rebounds, turning those into 19 points.

Nebraska will open Big Ten play Saturday at Indiana.