FIRST HALF ANALYSIS:
Nebraska came out hot, hitting their first 4 field goals. Dylan Grant, Rutgers’ second leading scorer, picked up 2 fouls within the first three minutes of the game. Foul trouble early would be a theme, as the Scarlet Knights had 6 team fouls in the opening 8 minutes. Berke Buyuktuncel picked up his second foul for Nebraska at the 10-minute mark, but that really wouldn’t affect the Huskers.
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Nebraska was not shooting the ball well from deep, but they were getting incredibly good looks inside. Mast, Hoiberg, Lawrence and Sandfort were doing some damage in the paint and mid-range. The Huskers had a comfortable lead throughout most of the first half, but a 14-5 run to close out the half gave Nebraska a 41-27 lead heading into the locker room.
FIRST HALF STATS:
Nebraska shot 16-32 for 50% from the floor. They went 5-16 for 31% from deep and 4-4 from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 20 rebounds, 3 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 13 assists to just 4 turnovers, while creating 6 steals defensively.
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The Huskers were led by Rienk Mast, who had 13 points. Mast and Sam Hoiberg led the way with 5 rebounds each. Hoiberg and Jamarques Lawrence had 4 assists each, while Hoiberg also led the way with 3 steals.
Rutgers shot 12-29 for 41% from the floor. They went 3-12 for 25% from deep and 0-2 from the free-throw line. The Scarlet Knights collected 15 rebounds, 2 of which were offensive. Rutgers committed 8 turnovers to 7 assists.
The Scarlet Knights were led by Tariq Francis, who had 10 points. Emmanuel Ogbole led the way with 5 rebounds. Harun Zrno had 3 assists, while Bryce Dortch had 2 blocks for Rutgers.
SECOND HALF ANALYSIS:
The Huskers came out in the second half just like they did in the first. Nebraska would open up a 20-point lead, but Rutgers would immediately cut the lead back down to the halftime deficit of 14. Rutgers would genuinely never threaten a comeback, as Rienk Mast, Sam Hoiberg and Pryce Sandfort made sure of that. Mast wasn’t 100 percent last week, but he definitely looked full strength today. The Huskers would keep the lead around the halftime lead throughout the half, and the Huskers cruised to a 6th conference road win, which sets a new school record.
FINAL STATS AND THOUGHTS:
Nebraska shot 30-64 for 47% from the floor. They went 9-27 for 33% from deep and 11-12 for 92% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 33 rebounds, 8 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 19 assists to only 6 turnovers. Nebraska created 10 steals defensively.
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The Huskers were led by Rienk Mast, who had 26 points and 8 rebounds. Jamarques Lawrence had 12 points and 7 assists. Sam Hoiberg had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
Rutgers shot 27-56 for 48% from the floor. They went 7-22 for 32% from deep and 7-12 for 58% from the free-throw line. The Scarlet Knights collected 34 rebounds, 8 of which were offensive. Rutgers committed 15 turnovers to 14 assists.
The Scarlet Knights were led by Tariq Francis, who had 16 points. Emmanuel Ogbole had 6 rebounds to led the way for Rutgers. Francis also paced Rutgers with 5 assists.
This was an overall comfortable win for Nebraska. They set a new record for road conference wins with 6. Rutgers never got within single digits in the second half, so the Huskers were in complete control for the last 20 minutes. Rienk Mast looked healthy, as he had his first 20-point game since Creighton. Sam Hoiberg continued to do things all over the place, as he really is the glue that holds this team together. He’s also the oil that keeps this machine rolling, proving his overall worth on both ends of the floor.
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Nebraska did what it was supposed to do, take care of business against inferior teams. Now, they have to re-lock the vault. Purdue has struggled a little lately, but there is no denying that they are a really good basketball team. They have great players like Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer. The Huskers will need another strong defensive performance. The Huskers take on the Boilermakers Tuesday, February 10th at 6:00 pm from Pinnacle Bank Arena. The game will be on FS1.
