Huskers Roll Past Michigan

Lincoln - Nebraska erupted on a pair of 13-0 first-half runs to build a 30-point lead and never looked back in a 79-59 victory over Michigan in front of a sellout crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena Saturday evening.

Josiah Allick produced his Nebraska season bests of 16 points and eight rebounds to set the tone early for the Huskers (17-8, 7-7 Big Ten).  Nebraska put four players in double figures and shot 46 percent from the floor in snapping an eight-game losing streak to the Wolverines (8-16, 3-10 Big Ten) dating back to 2018.

Keisei Tominaga had 19 points while Brice Williams and Rienk Mast added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Mast added eight assists and six rebounds, as Nebraska enjoyed a 43-39 advantage on the glass and had just nine turnovers to snap a two-game losing streak. 

In the first half, the Huskers shot nearly 50 percent and had just one turnover in building a 45-25 halftime lead. 
Tominaga had 15 of his 19 first-half points, including seven in a 13-0 run that turned a 9-7 lead into a 22-7 advantage just 8:40 into the contest. Nebraska continued to extend the lead, running off 13 straight points as part of a 18-3 surge that pushed the lead to 43-13 after a Juwan Gary dunk with 5:31 left before the half. 

Nebraska hit 16 of their first 29 shots from the floor but went just 1-of-10 from the floor in the final five minutes as the Wolverines mounted a comeback. 

Michigan closed the half on a 12-2 run, getting 3-pointers from Terrance Williams II and Jaelin Llewellyn to close to within 20 at the break. NU held the Wolverines to just 32.1 percent shooting in the first half and forced eight turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. 

Allick got the Huskers off to a quick second half start with five points, as Nebraska opened the second half on a 10-4 run to stretch the lead to 27 after an Allick basket with 17:03 remaining. 

Michigan got it to within 57-38 after a Llewellyn 3-pointer with just over 13 minutes left, but Williams scored nine of his 13 points over a three-minute span to push the lead back to 25. The Wolverines used a 9-0 run to get within 16 with 5:23 remaining but could get no closer, as the Huskers stretched the lead to 19 on Tominaga jumper with 3:02 left, while holding Michigan to one field goal over the final five minutes. 

NU held the Wolverines to a season-low 32.3 percent shooting. Nimari Burnett scored a team-high 18 points but was the only Michigan player in double figures. 

The Huskers will be off until next Saturday, Feb. 17, when the Huskers host Penn State. The 11 a.m. game is already sold  out and tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. on BTN and the Huskers Radio Network.