Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort (21) shoots a three over Penn State’s (and former Husker) Eli Rice (11). (Courtesy: Nebraska Athletics)
Sandfort ties Cochran’s 3-point mark as Huskers get needed spark from reserves
LINCOLN, Neb. — Behind a record-tying shooting performance from Pryce Sandfort and key contributions from its bench, No. 9 Nebraska rolled past Penn State, 87-64, Saturday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska (23-4, 12-4 Big Ten) shot 51.6 percent from the field and buried 14 of 35 from beyond the arc, controlling the game for all but 54 seconds and leading for more than 35 minutes. The Huskers used a 38-point first half to seize control before pouring in 49 more after the break to put the game out of reach.
Pryce Sandfort was at the center of it all.
The junior guard erupted for a career-high 33 points on 11-of-17 shooting, knocking down 8-of-14 from 3-point range to tie Cary Cochran’s program record for 3-pointers in a game. He added nine rebounds and finished with a team-best plus-27 rating.
“Pryce obviously was terrific all game long,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. “He had that thing stuck on automatic in the first half, and I thought our guys did a great job finding him in transition.”
Sandfort, who said he was “honored again” to match another Cochran record — “I feel like I’m just chasing all of Cary’s records here” — smiled when asked how many shots it takes him to feel comfortable.
“Zero. It doesn’t take any.”
The performance came at a critical time after a frustrating stretch, including a loss at Iowa in which Sandfort did not record a rebound. Rebounding was a personal point of emphasis Saturday, and he responded.
“It was really on my mind,” Sandfort said. “I was pretty frustrated with myself after the last game. It was definitely on my mind and I need to do that every game — it just can’t be a game-by-game thing.”
Nebraska won the rebounding battle 36-33 and turned 11 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points. The Huskers also dished out 22 assists on 32 made field goals, with Sam Hoiberg handing out 10 to go with 11 points and five rebounds – notching the first double-double of his career.
Penn State (11-17, 2-15) shot just 20 percent from 3-point range (4-of-20) and committed 15 turnovers. Ivan Juric led the Nittany Lions with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“One thing about this team that coach [Hoiberg] has, is they don’t beat themselves,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said. “You have to play a very good game and you have to go beat Nebraska — and not many teams have done it this year.”
The Huskers did it Saturday without one of their most versatile pieces. Berke Buyuktuncel was sidelined by illness, forcing Nebraska to lean more heavily on its bench.
“When you lose a guy like BK, he’s so important to what we do,” Fred Hoiberg said. “He does so much for us — you can play through him, he can handle the ball, play against pressure, finish, rebound… he’s our best analytically when you look at him on the defensive end. I’m proud of our guys who haven’t had a lot of time, how they went in there and impacted the game.”
Jared Garcia and Leo Curtis answered that call.
Garcia, who had seen limited minutes in recent games, delivered seven rebounds, three blocks and four points in nearly 19 minutes. Curtis added two points and steadied the frontcourt during a key first-half stretch when Rienk Mast struggled.
“Rienk obviously had some struggles going on in the first half; and when you have a guy that can go in — Leo I thought was terrific in those last few minutes — it allows Rienk to regroup,” Fred Hoiberg said. “I thought he was so much better in the last 20 minutes of that game.”
Mast finished with eight points, six rebounds and three assists, looking far more comfortable after halftime as Nebraska shot 58.1 percent in the second half.
For Garcia, the opportunity was the payoff for consistent work behind the scenes.
“Mentally and physically just trying to be locked in,” he said. “Approaching practice every day with the mentality to get better and stay ready so whenever my name is called, I can come in and bring some juice.”
Sam Hoiberg, who has experienced fluctuating minutes earlier in his career, praised both reserves.
“It’s a really tough position to be in,” he said. “I was kind of in that role a couple years ago, so I know how it feels if you don’t know if you’re going to play. Credit to Leo and Jared, they came in and executed our game plan. They were huge for us today and it’s really impressive to be able to stay locked in and make an impact like that.”
Braden Frager also provided a jolt, scoring 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-8 from deep and grabbing six rebounds. His energy was noticeable from the opening tip.
“I met with him yesterday afternoon and I told him, ‘I need that fearless Frager back,’” Fred Hoiberg said. “I need a guy to go get extra possessions for us and play with a swagger — and I thought he got back to that today.”
Sam Hoiberg echoed that sentiment.
“One thing I talked to Frager about was getting back to being himself out there and showing his personality — obviously not to the point where he’s going to get T’d up — but he has to be himself out there for him to play at his best, and I thought he played great today.”
With the victory, Nebraska regained its offensive rhythm and the pace that has defined much of its 23-win season.
“Really important,” Sandfort said of the win. “Having a game like this where you kind of had that pace and energy overall offensively — getting that back was big for us and we’ll keep moving that forward.”