Nebraska’s Cale Jacobsen (31) drives the lane against UCLA’s Xavier Booker (1). (Courtesy: Associated Press)
Bruins dominate early as Nebraska struggles with shooting, rebounding and defensive communication in 20-point defeat
LOS ANGELES — No. 9 Nebraska suffered one of its most lopsided defeats of the season Tuesday night, falling 72–52 to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion as the Bruins seized control early and never let the Huskers recover.
UCLA dictated the game from the opening minutes, jumping out quickly and forcing Nebraska to play from behind all night. The Huskers never held a lead and trailed for nearly the entire contest, ultimately falling by 20 points in a game head coach Fred Hoiberg said felt decided almost from the outset.
“I don’t know if it was ever close,” Hoiberg said afterward. “They came out and threw the first punch and we did not respond well to it. We didn’t respond to anything UCLA did to us tonight, really for the first time all year.”
Nebraska struggled offensively throughout the night, finishing just 19-of-49 from the field (38.8 percent) and a frigid 5-of-24 from three-point range. The Huskers were particularly cold early, shooting only 31 percent in the first half while hitting just 2-of-16 from deep.
UCLA capitalized on that slow start, shooting 50 percent in the opening half and building a 37–24 lead at the break before steadily extending the margin in the second half.
Guard Trent Perry led the Bruins with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, while Eric Dailey Jr. added 14 points and eight rebounds as UCLA controlled much of the night’s tempo.
Nebraska’s defensive execution — typically one of its strengths — faltered as the Bruins consistently found open looks.
“We weren’t crisp on our closeouts, we missed a couple rotations, our communication wasn’t where it needed to be — things that we’ve done exceptionally well all season long,” Hoiberg said. “[UCLA] played a lot harder than we did tonight.”
Forward Rienk Mast paced the Huskers with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, while Sam Hoiberg and Cale Jacobsen each added 12 and 11 points respectively. But Nebraska’s offense never found sustained rhythm, committing 13 turnovers and struggling to convert from the perimeter.
Rebounding issues compounded the problem. UCLA scored 17 second-chance points and matched Nebraska on the glass despite the Huskers emphasizing defensive rebounding all season.
“Probably the offensive rebounds,” Mast said when asked about the most disappointing aspect of the game. “It’s been an emphasis all season, and giving so many away is disappointing. We can control the defensive glass and we didn’t do that tonight.”
The tone of the game was set early. Nebraska fell behind quickly and spent the rest of the night trying to close a gap that only widened.
“You can’t make it any simpler — that was a very shitty start, and we’ve got to be better,” Mast said.
Defensively, Mast said breakdowns in communication allowed UCLA’s shooters to find open space.
“We let them get going, and that was where we went wrong,” Mast said. “Our closeouts and rotations at times were good, and at times we had miscommunications where somebody got an open shot. Normally we’re better at communicating — we just made some mistakes today.”
Despite the disappointing performance, both Hoiberg and Mast emphasized that the focus now shifts to Nebraska’s response.
“The biggest thing is how we’re going to respond; that’s the only thing that matters right now,” Hoiberg said. “They’ve responded all year, so I’m confident that they’ll do that.”
Mast echoed that sentiment, noting the environment and the quality of opponents who have also struggled at Pauley Pavilion.
“At the end of the day, it’s one loss,” Mast said. “They play really well in their home building. Purdue has lost here, Illinois has lost here — you hope to play better, but we also knew this was just one game.”
Nebraska will now turn its attention to the regular-season finale Sunday against Iowa in Lincoln — a game that carries additional meaning for the program’s senior class.
“Iowa’s a really important one on Sunday,” Mast said. “For me, for Sam [Hoiberg], for Jamarques [Lawrence] — for all the seniors this year, we want to win on our senior night. We’ll come out and be ready.”