Nebraska’s Ugnius Jarusevicius (13) scores over New Hampshire’s R.J. Kennedy (5). (Courtesy: Nebraska Athletics)
No. 13 Nebraska overwhelms New Hampshire 86–55, improves to 13–0
LINCOLN, Neb. — No. 13 Nebraska continued its unbeaten run Tuesday night with an authoritative 86–55 victory over New Hampshire at Pinnacle Bank Arena, using relentless downhill pressure and a dominant second half to pull away from the Wildcats.
Nebraska led by just three at halftime, but flipped the game after the break by living in the paint and at the free-throw line. The Huskers attempted 35 free throws, scored 42 points in the paint and outscored New Hampshire 45–17 in the second half, turning a competitive contest into a rout.
“That was a big part of the game plan,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We really stressed to our guys to get downhill and get paint touches. When you look at what we did in the paint — getting to the free throw line 35 times — we needed it.”
Pryce Sandfort led Nebraska with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Braden Frager added 15 points off the bench, going 7-for-8 at the line. Berke Buyuktuncel chipped in 14 points, and the Huskers finished with 30 bench points as their depth wore down New Hampshire.
Nebraska’s interior presence was also key. Rienk Mast finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, and the Huskers held a 44–33 rebounding advantage, including 16 offensive boards that led to 22 second-chance points.
Despite another uneven first half shooting-wise, Nebraska stayed composed and methodical, a trait Hoiberg said has defined this group through 13 games.
“The shots haven’t fallen as much as we’d like,” Hoiberg said. “But our guys don’t hang their heads. After 13 games, the thing I’ve been most impressed with this group is how they’ve handled adversity and how they’ve been coachable. If we get comfortable, it’s over for this team.”
The night also marked the Nebraska debut of Ugnius Jarusevicius, who was greeted with a loud ovation when he checked in. Jarusevicius made an immediate impact, scoring seven points in just over 10 minutes while knocking down a three and finishing efficiently at the rim.
“Uggy shook a lot of rust off tonight,” Hoiberg said. “It was good to see him knock down that three and have a couple nice takes to the basket. We’re going to need Uggy.”
Jarusevicius said the moment was one he’ll remember.
“It was great — just trying to enjoy it as much as I can, soak in [as much of the] experience as I can,” he said. “It feels amazing playing in front of a big crowd. Just grateful.”
That crowd of 14,497 watched Nebraska turn defense into offense, scoring 19 points off turnovers and posting its biggest lead of 34 late in the second half.
Sam Hoiberg pointed to the team’s style of play as a reason fan interest continues to grow.
“I think you look at the history of the teams I’ve been a part of — when you show you play a product that’s worth watching, the fans are gonna show up,” he said. “This year, we’re doing a great job of that and fans are noticing and showing up for us.”
At 13–0, Nebraska’s best start in program history continues to build momentum, but Hoiberg said the approach remains unchanged.
“We’ve just gone one game at a time,” he said. “That’s how we’ve prepared and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
Nebraska will look to carry that same downhill identity and composure forward as its nonconference slate winds down.