Hours after jumping into the Associated Press Top 10 for the first time in nearly 60 years, the No. 10 Nebraska men’s basketball team showed its mettle with a 72-69 win at Ohio State Monday in Columbus, Ohio. The victory stretches the Cornhuskers’ school record season-opening winning streak to 15 games, while continuing Nebraska’s overall winning streak to 19 games dating back to last year’s Crown Tournament.
Lincoln native Braden Frager led a balanced scoring effort with 15 points on six-for-nine shooting. Of the eight Huskers (15-0, 4-0 Big Ten) who played, six scored at least eight points. Rienk Mast added 12 points, while Pryce Sandfort and JaMarcus Lawrence each scored 11. Sam Hoiberg and Berke Bukuytuncel each contributed eight. The Buckeyes (10-4, 2-2 Big Ten) were led by the 22 points of John Mobley, Jr. Bruce Thornton tallied 16 while Devin Royal scored 14.
Nebraska overcame cold shooting from the perimeter, shooting just eight-for-29 from behind the arc (28 percent). Meanwhile, the Huskers were tougher on the boards, outrebounding Ohio State 38-29. Nebraska’s depth was also on display, as the NU bench outscored the Buckeyes’ subs 22-0.
Nebraska bolted out to a 10-1 lead and held a 13-5 advantage less than four minutes into the game. Ohio State cut the Huskers’ lead to 15-13 with 12 minutes remaining in the first half, but Nebraska responded with a 12-0 run that pushed the Huskers’ lead to 27-13 with 8:31 to go in the first half. OSU chipped the lead down to five twice before halftime, but Buyuktuncel hit a basket with 1:47 to go in the half to push the lead to 38-31, which was the halftime score.
The Buckeyes chipped away at the seven-point halftime deficit, with two free throws by Thornton giving OSU its first lead, 49-48 with 10:24 to go in the game. The game remained within one possession until a 7-0 Nebraska run opened the lead to 66-58 with 2:18 to go in the game. A 7-1 Buckeyes run cut the Huskers’ lead to 67-65 with a minute remaining, but a three-point play by Frager pushed the lead back to 70-65. Ohio State scored four straight points to cut the lead to one with 14 seconds to go, but two Lawrence free throws sealed the win for Nebraska.
The Huskers return to action Saturday at 11 a.m. at Indiana. Pregame coverage begins at 10 a.m. on KLIN.