Courtesy Nebraska Athletics
The Nebraska men’s basketball team started Tuesday’s game at UCLA poorly, and it never got much better as the Bruins beat the No. 9 Cornhuskers, 72-52. UCLA led by 10 eight minutes into the game and led by at least seven points the rest of the game en route to the victory, which closed the Bruins’ home schedule at 17-1. UCLA held at least a 10-point lead the entire second half.
Nebraska struggled to hit shots, especially from the perimeter. The Huskers were 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) from behind the arc. NU started the game shooting poorly, hitting just 9-of-29 (31 percent) from the field. Sam Hoiberg led the Huskers with 12 points, while Rienk Mast and Cale Jacobsen each tallied 11. Pryce Sandfort, the reigning Big Ten co-Player of the Week, was held to just nine points. Trent Perry led the Bruins with 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting, while Eric Bailey, Jr., contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. UCLA was able tough on the boards, converting 11 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points, compared to just seven second-chance points for NU.
The Huskers will face Iowa in the regular season finale Sunday at 4 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Pregame coverage begins at 3 p.m. on KLIN. Nebraska could clinch a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament with a win Sunday.