Pinnacle Bank Arena is proving to be an impossible place for visitors to escape with a win. No. 15 UCLA learned that Saturday. A gritty effort by Nebraska led to its 20th straight home win as the Huskers beat the Bruins, 66-58.
Nebraska (12-2, 2-1 B1G) earned its sixth straight win overall thanks to a tough showing in which UCLA (11-3, 2-1 B1G) shot just 4-for-28 from behind the arc (14.3 percent) and just 38.6 percent from the field overall. The Huskers outrebounded the Bruins, 39-34 and tallied 11 2nd chance points off offensive rebounds to UCLA’s two. The Nebraska bench outscored UCLA’s, 23-15.
The first half was marked by runs by both sides. The Bruins scored the first seven points of the game, only to see the Huskers notch the next 15. UCLA scored the next 15, only to be answered by nine in a row by Nebraska. A basket in the waning seconds of the half by the Bruins’ Skyy Clark tied the game at 24.
The first four minutes of the second half were back and forth, with UCLA holding a 32-31 lead. But a three-point play by Andrew Morgan, followed by a steal and a layup by Morgan gave Nebraska the lead, 36-32. The Huskers never trailed again. After two made UCLA free throws, Brice Williams made four free throws in a row to push the NU lead to 4o-34 with 11:20 to go.
Late life by the Bruins cut the Huskers’ lead to 42-38 with 9:25 remaining, but the Huskers iced the game with an 8-0 run to build a 50-38 lead with eight minutes to go. A Juwan Gary three-pointer with 7:15 remaining gave Nebraska its’ biggest lead of the game, 53-40. That was the Huskers’ last field goal, but Nebraska was solid from the free-throw line to hold on to win.
Williams led the Huskers in scoring with 16 points. He shot just 2-for-12 from the field, but hit 11-of-12 free throws. Morgan came off the bench to score 12 points, while Rollie Worster tallied 11 and Gary added 10. Berke Buyuktuncel led the Huskers in rebounding with nine in his first chance to face his former team. Tyler Bilodeau led UCLA with 15 points.
Nebraska now prepares to travel to Iowa for a Tuesday matchup. Pregame coverage will begin at 6 p.m. ahead of a 7 p.m. tipoff on KLIN.