No. 5 Nebraska men’s basketball fell in its second straight game, losing 78-69 to No. 9 Illinois at Pinnacle Bank Arena Sunday. The loss comes after No. 3 Michigan defeated the Cornhuskers, 72-69, Tuesday in Ann Arbor.
Nebraska (20-2/9-2 Big Ten) was bolstered by the returns of both Rienk Mast and Braden Frager. Frager had missed the prior two games with an ankle injury, but returned to the Huskers’ lineup and scored a team-leading 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting, all from beyond the arc. Mast struggled in his return, missing his first eight shots before finishing with five points and four rebounds, well below his season averages. In addition to Frager, Pryce Sandfort scored 14 points, Sam Hoiberg tallied 13 and Jamarcus Lawrence contributed 10.
The Fighting Illini (19-3/10-1 Big Ten) was led by Keaton Wagler, who scored 28 points on 7-for-15 shooting. Jake Davis tallied 13, Zvonimir Ivisic scored 12 while grabbing eight rebounds, while David Mirkovich had 10 points and also snagged eight rebounds. Illinois dominated the glass and the paint, outrebounding Nebraska 40-27 while outscoring them in the paint, 28-18.
The first half was mostly hotly contested, with Illinois taking a 25-20 lead with six minutes to go. Three free throws by Davis boosted the Illini lead to 31-25 with 3:22 remaining in the first half. But a 14-2 Nebraska surge fueled by four three-pointers sent the Huskers into halftime leading 39-33. Nebraska shot well behind the arc, hitting 11-for-20 from three-point range.
Illinois took the lead with a 10-3 run early in the second half, jumping ahead 51-47. Two Frager free throws cut the Illini lead to 53-52, but Illinois took control again. Late in the shot clock, a pass was tipped by Ivisic into the hands of Davis waiting on the left sideline. Davis drained the three as the shot clock expired, sparking a 10-0 run that opened a 63-52 lead for the Illini with 6:45 remaining. Frager stopped the run with a three-pointer, but Andrej Stojakovic answered with a three-point play to push the lead to 66-55 with six minutes remaining. Illinois led by at least seven points the rest of the way. Nebraska cooled off substantially from the perimeter in the second half, hitting 4-of-15 three-point attempts.
The Huskers are next in action Saturday at Rutgers. Pregame coverage begins at 10 a.m., tipoff at 11 a.m. on KLIN.