Husker Hoops Rolls Again Behind Stellar Defense

On the strength of their suffocating defense, the Nebraska Cornhuskers won another comfortable early season contest, 87-35 over Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday afternoon.

14 steals and eight blocked shots contributed to 33 points off turnovers. James Palmer led the way on both sides of the floor, getting a game-high four steals to help lead to a game-high 17 points. Glynn Watson added 16, with 12 coming in the second half.

After SE Louisiana took an early 7-4 lead, the Huskers clamped down and went on a 22-0 run over 8:48 and a 26-7 lead. The Lions were never close after that as NU led by 36 at halftime. Head Coach Tim Miles deployed different defensive looks during that period. “We had 16 straight stops, and the press and the zone were part of that. Our 1-3-1 has always been good for us; this is our third year with it. I thought it really helped tonight keep Southeastern Louisiana off balance.”

“We have guys who can guard multiple positions, that’s going to make it hard for teams to score on us,” noted Isaiah Roby. “We started pressing them, defense turned into offense for us.” NU got 33 points off of turnovers, with 20 in the first half.

All five Husker starters reached double figures. Isaac Copeland scored 11 points, while Roby and Thomas Allen added ten apiece. Brady Heiman also scored ten off the bench, and Nana Akenten added nine on three 3-pointers. Offensively, Nebraska hit on 62% of their first half shots, including 94% from inside the arc, and was 14-16 from the free throw line. The second half saw a better performance from deep with 6 of 13 3-pointers falling after the break.

Despite the first two opponents of the regular season offering little resistance in 69- and 52-point victories, Miles still praised the intensity level on defense. “What I like about the team is they were able to play with the mentality and show the versatility to defend the right way. I think we’ve shown that mindset and that consistency.”

Nebraska’s starting lineup is one of the best in the Big Ten conference, but depth is an early season concern so foul trouble will be worth watching. That was not a problem Sunday, as SELU didn’t attempt a single free throw until the 6:25 mark of the second half. NU only committed 14 fouls, nobody other than Tanner Borchardt with more than two.

Copeland, with the first two games in the rearview mirror, offered a quick look ahead to Wednesday’s matchup with Seton Hall, part of the Gavitt Games pairing Big Ten and Big East teams. “It’s a high major team, and last year we lost a matchup to a Big East team. We want to make sure we come out and make a statement early.” The Pirates face the Huskers Wednesday at 6:30 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.