Nebraska’s defense controlled the entire first half and helped the Huskers go into the break ahead 32-21, marking its largest halftime lead yet in Big Ten play.
A pair of alley-oops from Trey McGowens to Bryce McGowens highlighted an impressive start to the night for NU, as it jumped out to a 17-6 advantage after the first eight minutes.
Minnesota wouldn’t get any closer than eight the rest of the half, as the Gophers went 0-for-9 from 3-point range with 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
After scoring just two points in the first half, Verge exploded in the second frame and accounted for 13 of Nebraska’s first 15 points. That sparked the Huskers on a 14-1 run and gave them their largest lead of the night at 52-32.
Minnesota was able to chip away at the deficit and pull within 12 points three times over the next 11 minutes, getting as close as 74-63 with 49 seconds to play.
But each time, Nebraska came up with an answer to get the game under control. Despite going a dismal 15-for-28 at the free-throw line on the night, the Huskers made their final four at the stripe to put the game away for good.
NU shot 48.3 percent from the field overall and 57.7 percent in the second half, even after going the last 3:51 without a made basket. The Huskers also out-scored UM 40-22 in the paint and led 12-7 in second-chance points.
Defensively, Minnesota doubled its season average with 18 turnovers – including 12 steals – that turned into a season-high 25 points for Nebraska.
Derrick Walker finished with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting with seven rebounds, while Trey McGowens posted six points, seven boards, five assists, and two steals. CJ Wilcher came off the bench and went 3-for-4 from behind the arc for nine points.
Jamison Battle led Minnesota by scoring all of his 21 points in the second half with five 3-pointers.
1. This was the most complete team effort of the season
It took 24 games to do it, but Nebraska finally put together a total team effort for a full 40 minutes on Wednesday night.
The Huskers set the tone from the jump with their defensive energy, and eventually, their playmakers stepped up with enough clutch baskets to take total control in the second half.
All nine players who saw the court scored in the victory. Eight had at least two rebounds, and seven recorded at least one steal.
Verge’s second-half performance stole the show, and head coach Fred Hoiberg called this arguably the senior point guard’s best all-around effort of the year.
Trey McGowens also came up with his best showing of the season by far. Even though he only finished with six points and was 2-of-8 from the field and an awful 2-for-9 at the free-throw line, McGowens had a game-high plus/minus rating of +17.
He led NU with five assists and did not commit a turnover in 34 minutes on the floor. McGowens also helped hold Minnesota’s Payton Willis (16.7 ppg) to just eight shot attempts while switching over to Battle in the second half and limiting him to just one made field goal over the final nine minutes.
Walker was once again NU’s rock on both ends of the floor. He made all four of his shots, hauled in seven boards, and hit three critical late free throws when NU couldn’t buy a point at the charity stripe.
Wilcher continued his strong play by knocking down a team-high three 3-pointers on five attempts. His third triple came after rebounding a missed Trey McGowens free throw and helped push a 12-point lead back up to 16 with just over eight minutes to play.
Lat Mayen didn’t have the best shooting night either, going 2-of-10 for six points and missing all three of his 3-pointers. But the junior forward found other ways to do his part, chipping in six rebounds and three steals while knocking down two crucial free throws with 2:24 remaining.
Mayen also played a big part in holding Battle, the Gophers’ leading scorer at 16.9 ppg, scoreless in the first half.
2. The fight was there from the start
During his pre-game press conference on Tuesday, Hoiberg was reluctant even to mention that he thought Nebraska had two of its best practices of the season following its embarrassing home loss to Northwestern.
He knew full well that quality practices are meaningless when they don’t translate into game days. But the effort and intensity were so much better in those two sessions that Hoiberg felt compelled to mention them.
For the first time all year, the Huskers finally carried over the fight they’d shown in practice into a game. And for the first time, they kept it up for a full 40 minutes.
So many times this season, NU has shown flashes of looking like the team so many people expected. But each of those were always followed with complete collapses where it seemingly could do nothing right.
Things were different this time around, and Nebraska finally got to enjoy the reward of victory as a result.
The Huskers now have tangible evidence of what happens when you practice the right way, bring that same focus and energy into a game, and then sustain it from start to finish.
It’s just one win over a Minnesota team going through a total rebuild under a first-year head coach, and in the grand scheme of things, it does nothing to change the tenor of what this season has been on its own.
But it’s the first step, and more often than not, that’s the most important of them all on the path to success.
3. A night to remember for Verge
After wrapping up his post-game interview on Big Ten Network, Verge waved to a group of Nebraska fans that stuck around and cheered him as he walked off the floor to the locker room.
As he left, he yelled, “Thank you!”
Verge’s final numbers were impressive, especially his 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the second half. He scored or assisted on 10 of NU’s 15 field goals and made five of the team’s 12 free throws in the second half, including four in the final minute.
But the celebration of leading his team to a victory for the first time since Dec. 22 was likely the best part of the night for the graduate transfer from Arizona State.
This season has been volatile since the beginning for Verge, as his big numbers and highlight-reel plays were often negated by erratic decision-making and head-scratching turnovers.
That’s brought as much fan criticism upon him as any player on the roster, even in games where he was hardly the Huskers’ only problem.
But for at least one night, Verge played the way he was supposed to, and NU fans showed their appreciation accordingly.
“Everything he’s been through, he’s just continued to stay the course,” Walker said. “He’s here every day with us, and he wants to get better. It’s great to see him go out there and just have fun and just play his game and help us win.”
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