Nebraska men’s basketball saw its six-game winning streak end in a 97-87 overtime loss at Iowa Tuesday. The Huskers (12-3, 2-2 B1G) fell despite building a 15-point lead in the second half and assembling a 14-0 run toward the end of the first half.
But Iowa (11-4, 2-2 B1G) came back, chipping away at the 15-point lead starting with just under 15 minutes to go in regulation. The Hawkeyes tied the game at 64 with just under five minutes to go in regulation, then took their first lead of the second half with three minutes to go, leading 69-68. A Payton Sandfort three pushed the Iowa lead to 74-70 with 1:22 remaining, but the Huskers fought back to force overtime. Bryce Williams drained a three to cut the lead to one with just over a minute to go. After two Hawkeyes free throws, Williams nailed another three as the second half clock expired to tie the game at 76 and force overtime.
But the Huskers stumbled out of the gate of overtime, allowing the first nine points of the period, and the hole was too deep to climb out of.
Williams led Nebraska in scoring 28 points on 10-for-20 shooting. He added four rebounds and two assists. Rollie Wooster tallied 14 points, while Juwan Gary notched his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Josh Dix paced Iowa with 31 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the three-point range, while Sandfort scored 30 on 6-for-9 shooting from behind the arc.
Nebraska will return to the road Sunday to take on Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. Tipoff is slated for 11 a.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 10 a.m. on KLIN.