Nebraska Postgame Notes/Quotes vs. Boston College

Nebraska Postgame Notes
*-With the win, Nebraska improves to 6-6 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and picks up its first win in the event since 2018
*-Nebraska improves to 2-0 all-time against Boston College with both wins coming in the ACC
*-Nebraska shot 61.5 percent from the floor, its highest total since shooting 62.8 percent against Northwestern on Feb. 3, 2015
*-Keisei Tominaga tied a career high with 23 points tonight, matching his 23-point effort last season against South Dakota. It marked Tominaga’s second career 20-point game. He has been in double figures in each of the last three games and five times this season, all coming off the bench.
*-Tominaga’s 23 points is a season high for any Husker this season (Sam Griesel vs. Maine)
*-Nebraska held Boston College without a field goal for over 12 minutes from the 3:11 mark in the first half to the 11:07 mark in the second half, outscoring Boston College 25-3 in that span
*-Emmanuel Bandoumel matched his career high with six assists, matching his personal best set at Vanderbilt on Jan. 4, 2020 while at SMU. 
*-Nebraska put five players in double figures for the second straight game. 
*-Nebraska out-rebounded Boston College, 29-26, the fourth straight game NU out-rebounded an opponent. 
*-Nebraska’s 88 points was a season-high and highest total since scoring 93 at Penn State on Feb. 27, 2022.
*-C.J. Wilcher scored all of his 14 points in the second half, including shooting 4-for-7 from behind the arc. 
*-Nebraska drained a season-high 12 three-pointers in the contest, including 9-for-13 in the second half.

Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg
Opening Statement
"I was really pleased with the effort our guys came out with. I thought the key stretch was that last media timeout of the first half. It really challenged our guys to finish off the right way, and we turned a three-point deficit into a four-point lead. I think it was a 7-0 run to end the half and then we carried that over into the second where we went on that big run. I thought our defense was key in that run and rebounding. I thought we did a great job of blocking out and limiting them to one shot and that allowed us to get out in transition and find shooters and get to the basket. Good to see Derrick (Walker) get it going in the second half and CJ (Wilcher) knocking down some shots. Keisei (Tominaga) obviously was phenomenal all night and I was pleased how our guys made a big effort to find him and get him the ball. Getting to the free-throw line and getting those free ones helps in a big way when you're a shooter like Keisei is. 29-9 run to start that second half, holding them without a field goal for almost 12 minutes, and shot 70 percent. We just really made unselfish play after unselfish play and I'm really happy the effort tonight." 

On Keisei's performance
"I think he hit the free throws and then he hit a three there shortly after and he knew he had it going. He drove by his guy and hit a little floater. He's got his bag of tricks. He got in there and threw the floater above the square and he's got a deceptively quick release. When you can get yourself to the free-throw line like he did that's a huge confidence builder. I credit our guys for finding him and getting him the ball when he had it going. It's a great sign of an unselfish team."

On looking forward
"I thought we did a good job building off the Florida State game. I was really pleased with that second half where we limited out turnovers, valued possessions and got really good looks. We didn't make all of them in that Florida State game and tonight we did and that's what led to that efficient, almost 70 percent, second half. We got a heck of a stretch coming up here starting with Creighton, and they've got a big one tomorrow on the road but it's going to be a big task going in there playing against the seventh-ranked team on the road. Then you go to No. 10 Indiana, looks like they're holding off North Carolina tonight and then finish this stretch with No. 5 Purdue. We have a heck of a stretch and have to take it one day at a time. I was glad we found a way to take care of business in this one and we have to enjoy it tonight and we have an off day tomorrow. We'll learn from it and get a good film session in our next practice and then have two good days of prep heading into Omaha."

Emmanuel Bandoumel
On Keisei Tominaga’s career performance 
“We need Keisei (Tominaga) to get going every time that he can. He’s the top shooter on our team with C.J. (Wilcher), and as soon as they get going, it makes the offense so much easier because the ball is going in, so now we have to worry about defense. With them, putting the ball in the basket relieves so much for us and gets us going on defense. It’s that energy that we use, it makes it so much easier for everybody to create, everybody to get in there and create for ourselves and get to the paint. Sam (Griesel) to get into the paint, Derrick (Walker) to operate in the paint because now the offense is spread out, so it's really huge.” 

On Derrick Walker’s impact to the offense
“He’s more than a veteran, he knows the offense like his back hand. He’s making sure everybody is on the same page, finding us on cuts. He’s a great passer for a big. I’ve played with many bigs but he’s one of the best, he’s got that feeling. He’s finding everybody on cuts, on traps, when they’re doubling, he finds the wide-open guy he is going to put it on the target. Just to have a guy who can facilitate that much as much as Sam (Griesel) on the perimeter. Even Derrick on the perimeter, we don't even see him posting up, but he can face up, get to the paint. He gets rebounds, scores, finds open teammates. He’s the whole package, we love it.”

On Blaise Keita’s important minutes after Derrick Walker’s foul trouble
“Huge. Eight rebounds, four of them were offensive rebounds. We want Blaise (Keita) to do that. We want Blaise to be physical. He has a big body, and we want people to feel him. I told him yesterday that they have to feel you every time you’re on the court. On cuts, screens, rebounds, defensively and he did exactly that. Taking charges, getting offensive rebounds, getting Keisei wide open. He does so much, and it helps us on the court defensively.” 

Keisei Tominaga
On when he knew he was locked in
“Probably the first shot. If I make the first shot, I can get going easily. They pass it to me so many times, so I just have to make the shot. I felt like I could do that today.” 

Boston College Head Coach Earl Grant
On the offensive performance 
“I thought we controlled the game the first half. And then they went on a 9-1 run to end the half. We didn’t do what we needed to do. We did not take care of the ball at the level that we need to take care of it. And then we had a few shots where we just didn’t have enough poise. The end of the first half and the start of the second half. Any time you play on the road like this you are probably going to have to expect a run. Maybe they can get it to nine, 10. Then we just couldn’t stop the bleeding. We didn’t stay mature enough. We weren’t executing at the level we were needing to execute at. And it went from eight to 10 to 14. They made a lot of shots. They made us pay. And we were just very uncharacteristic. 88 points is way too many points for us to give up, so our defense didn’t travel today.” 
 
On Devin McGlockton 
“I thought he played hard. He played with a lot of energy. He comes off the bench for us. We ask him to bring us energy and defend the rebound. I thought he was excellent, but we needed more guys. Really proud of him and his efforts. I thought Chas (Kelley III) came in and gave us a lift off the bench as well. But we just didn’t have enough. It takes five guys to work together to get it done. I thought Nebraska did a lot better job of moving the ball and finding the right shot. They had the crowd behind them. But our level of poiseness on our first road game was not at the level that it needed to be, so we have to learn from it and how we can get better.”
 
On this game preparing Boston College to face Duke on the road  
“We played on the road already, so we should have a better understanding of poiseness and being able to execute under duress. This was our first road game, hopefully this game will help us going into the next one. We have 48 hours to get back and come up with the best game plan and be ready to play.”

NU Athletic Communications