Behind 21 points from JaMarcus Lawrence and 20 from Brendan Frager, Nebraska men’s basketball knocked off New Mexico, 84-72, Friday in the first round of the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Mo. The win was the Cornhuskers’ ninth straight win dating back to last season, the longest active winning streak in college basketball.
Lawrence shot six-for-nine from the field, including four-of-seven from three-point range to lead Nebraska. Frager was six-for-eight shooting from the field and also grabbed eight rebounds. Rienk Mast added 17 points for NU. Jake Hall led the Lobos with 20 points on six-for-15 shooting from behind the arc.
Nebraska opened the game on an 11-2 run and built a 22-5 lead in the first seven-and-a-half minutes of the game. The Huskers held a comfortable 43-25 lead at halftime.
New Mexico cut into Nebraska’s advantage in the second half, shrinking the Huskers’ lead to 51-47 with 12:31 remaining. But the Lobos got no closer, and solid free-throw shooting helped the Huskers finish the victory.
Nebraska now advances to the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic. The Huskers will take on the winner of Kansas State-Mississippi State at 8:30 p.m., Friday night at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Pregame coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. on KLIN.