The Huskers took down Big East opponent Seton Hall in the Gavitt Game tip-off, 80 to 57. The Huskers ran the Pirates out of the gym, but Nebraska certainly didn’t look to have a safe victory for the majority of the game.
In the 1st half, Seton Hall trailed only by six points, 33 to 27. Nebraska had problems containing junior guard Myles Powell, who racked up 15 points before the halftime buzzer. Had the Pirates been more successful from beyond the arc, only shooting 0-6 from the three point line in the first, it would’ve spelled trouble for the Big Red. Seton Hall was nipping at Nebraska’s heels at every opportunity.
Isaiah Roby spent the vast majority of the first half on the bench, as he got himself into foul trouble, picking up two fouls in six minutes of game action. It was Roby’s fourth foul though, which changed the course of the game. With a little over 14 minutes remaining in the second half, Roby was called for a moving screen. Replays appeared to show that Roby did not make contact with a single Pirate player, causing the Pinnacle Bank Arena crowd to become incensed.
Husker head coach Tim Miles, fueled by the sea of boos in PBA, was called for a technical foul after giving the officiating crew an earful. Powell hit both of his attempts from the charity stripe, pulling the Pirates within four points.
Michael Nzei of Seton Hall then proceeded to hit a layup, cutting the Husker lead down to two points, 44-42. “That was really a test for us,” senior forward Isaac Copeland said. “We hadn’t really experienced anything like that in the two (previous) games so far.”
The Huskers responded with intensity, coming out of the gates on fire. James Palmer Jr. hit a three ball on the Husker’s next possession, setting the tone for the rest of the game. After starting out the game 0-8 from the field, Palmer virtually metamorphosed as the game progressed, eventually winding up with 29 points on the night. “I just wanted to stay aggressive,” Palmer said.
The Husker lead would grow all the way up to 25 points towards the end of regulation, but the final margin of victory for the Huskers wound up at 23 points. Coach Miles was pleased with the turnaround.
“I thought our kids really came back and played rock solid,” Miles said. “James (Palmer) hit a big shot, which helped… I thought we played better as the game went on.”
Miles continued lauding his team, saying that the players “show up every day to work.” With Nebraska improving to 3-0 on the season, Miles has good reason to be proud. The Huskers passed their first true test of the season, but there’s another one waiting for Nebraska not too far down the road against a ranked Clemson squad on November 26th.
Nebraska’s next game is against Missouri State next Monday. Tip off for that one is set for 6 o’ clock.
-Tim Curran
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