Similar start, far different finish.
Much like Sunday, Nebraska men’s basketball stumbled out of the gate, trailing by as many as 23 in the first half at Penn State. But this time, there was no dramatic comeback as the Nittany Lions never let up in beating the Huskers, 89-72, Wednesday at University Park, Pa. Nebraska never drew closer than 16 in the second half.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Zach Hicks led Penn State with 19 points each. Konan Niederhauser was 7-for-10 shooting from the field, while Hicks was 5-for-9 shooting from behind the arc. D’Marco Dunn had 17 points for PSU while Freddie Dilione V tallied 12 and Nick Kerr and Ace Baldwin, Jr., contributed 10 each.
Meanwhile, Connor Essegian led the Huskers with 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting. Andrew Morgan scored 18 points on 8-for-8 shooting, while Brice Williams scored 17 points.
Penn State converted 16 Nebraska turnovers into 16 points while the Huskers only converted 12 PSU turnovers into six points. The Nittany Lions outscored NU in the paint, 52-36. Penn State scored 17 fast-break points to the Huskers’ two. Penn State never trailed in the game, had a 10-point lead 4:22 into the game and a 20-point lead with 4:05 to go in the first half.
Nebraska now prepares for a home game Monday against Michigan at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with tipoff at 7 p.m. on KLIN.