National Basketball Association
Nebraska 79, Southwest Minnesota St. 38
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 29, 2018
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
Officials:
# Brian McNutt, # Luke Schumer, # Brandon Cruz
Attendance:
15057
By Field Level Media
Nebraska scored the game's first 12 points on Saturday and went on to defeat Southwest Minnesota State 79-38 in nonconference action at Lincoln, Neb.
The Cornhuskers (11-2), who had the fifth-longest home winning streak among the Power 5 conference schools enter Saturday's action, have now won 19 straight in Lincoln.
Isaac Copeland opened the game with a layup and a steal, which Glynn Watson Jr. converted into a 3-point jumper, and the Huskers were off and running.
Ryan Bruggeman's jumper in the paint at the 16:50 mark finally got the Mustangs on the board. Another jumper by Bruggeman two minutes later got Southwest Minnesota State within 12-6, but that was as close as the visitors would get the rest of the game.
Watson scored 16 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists and recorded four steals to lead Nebraska. James Palmer Jr. also scored 16 points and had six rebounds and five assists.
Steven McNease and Bruggeman led the Mustangs (7-5) with eight points each. Bruggeman added seven rebounds and three assists.
Nebraska used an 18-3 run late in the first half to build a 37-13 lead. Taylor Schafer finally ended the Mustangs' dry spell with a 3-pointer with 1:28 left in the half.
The Cornhuskers took a 37-18 lead into intermission, holding the Mustangs to just 7 of 24 from the field (29.2 percent). Nebraska wasn't that much better shooting 36.1 percent, but the Cornhuskers did connect on 7 of their 13 shots from beyond the arc.
Nebraska committed just one first-half turnover. Southwest Minnesota turned the ball over nine times, which Nebraska converted into 16 points.
The second half was much like the first, with the Cornhuskers overpowering the Mustangs 14-4 to open up a 51-22 lead on a 3-pointer by Copeland.
The lead grew to 36 on a layup by Thorir Thorbjarnarson with 6:53 left.
The game had special meaning for Nebraska head coach Tim Miles, who got his coaching start in Marshall, Minn., with the Mustangs. Current Southwest Minnesota head coach Brad Bigler was a point guard on Miles' 2001-02 team that went to the Division II Elite Eight.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Southwest Minnesota St. |
|
Nebraska |
|
Ryan Bruggeman 8 |
Scoring |
James Palmer Jr. 16 |
|
Ryan Bruggeman 3 |
Assists |
James Palmer Jr. 5 |
|
Ryan Bruggeman 7 |
Rebounds |
Tanner Borchardt 9 |
|
Steven McNease 2 |
Free Throws Made |
James Palmer Jr. 4 |
|
Kolin Bartlett 1 |
Steals |
Glynn Watson Jr. 4 |
|
Kenny Byers 3 |
Blocks |
Brady Heiman 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Southwest Minnesota St. |
38 |
30.2 |
3-21 |
3-5 |
6 |
29 |
5 |
4 |
15 |
| Nebraska
|
79 |
43.9 |
11-24 |
10-11 |
15 |
43 |
1 |
12 |
6 |
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