The tough times continue for Nebraska men’s basketball.
The Huskers struggled with turning the ball over throughout the game and hot shooting by USC in the second half in a 78-73 loss Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The loss was Nebraska’s (12-7, 2-6 B1G) fifth straight, including two home losses.
The Trojans (12-7, 4-4) converted 11 Huskers turnovers into 16 points, while Nebraska cashed in nine USC giveaways for just six points. But it was the Trojans’ perimeter shooting in the second half that may have made the difference. After USC missed all nine three-point attempts in the first half, the Trojans drained six-of-12 three-pointers after halftime, fueling a comeback that erased a 40-37 deficit at intermission. The game was hotly contested throughout, as neither team held a lead larger than six points.
Juwan Gary paced Nebraska’s offense with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting. Brice Williams added 17 points while Connor Essegian tallied 14 points off the bench. No other Husker scored more than six points. While USC found its outside shooting touch in the second half, Nebraska was never able to dial it in from distance, hitting just 5-of-24 shots from behind the arc.
The Huskers return to action Sunday at noon at Wisconsin. Pregame coverage begins at 11 a.m. on KLIN.