Huskers Suffer Close Loss at Michigan

Nebraska stormed back from a second-half deficit with a 19-3 run late in the second half, but Michigan held on for an 85-79 win over the Huskers on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Bryce McGowens poured in a team-high 24 points to lead Nebraska, becoming the first freshman in program history to score at least 20 points in four consecutive games.

Derrick Walker added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting followed by eight points apiece by Alonzo Verge Jr. and C.J. Wilcher.

Nebraska shot 50.8 percent from the field, including 12-of-15 from the free throw line. NU shot 7-of-18 from three-point range while limiting Michigan to 2-of-15 shooting from long distance.

Hunter Dickinson led Michigan with 26 points and eight rebounds while Eli Brooks added 20 for the winners.

The Huskers and Wolverines exchanged buckets for the first 10 minutes, with a layup by Eduardo Andre giving Nebraska a slim 22-20 advantage with 9:18 remaining in the first half.

A 12-3 spurt in the span of 3:08 helped Nebraska build 36-26 lead with 4:57 in the first half. A pair of jumpers by Bryce McGowens, a trey from Wilcher and five straight points by Verge Jr. paced the Huskers in the three-minute rally.

Michigan responded with a 7-0 run of its own to close the gap to three with 2:40 left in the half before Lat Mayen knocked down a three-pointer to stretch the lead to 43-33 with 1:17 left.

The Huskers shot 54.8 percent from the floor in the first half, including 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from beyond the arc to give NU a 44-37 at the break.

The Wolverines raced out to a 20-3 run to begin the second half, taking a 57-47 lead with 13:57 remaining in the game.

Nebraska roared back, using a 19-3 run of its own to regain the lead. Three pointers by Wilcher and Kobe Webster and a layup by Walker brought the Big Red back within three at 58-55 with 11:41 left.

Nebraska took a 64-60 lead after Keisei Tominaga scored on back-to-back layups. McGowens capped off a 19-3 run by the Huskers with a pair of free throws, expanding the NU lead to 66-60 with 8:51 remaining.

The Huskers took a 73-66 lead with 6:06 left after a three-pointer by Tominaga before a quick 6-0 run in a little over a minute brought the Wolverines within one with 5:04 left in the game.

After a pair of Wilcher free throws tied the game at 79 with 1:20 remaining, the Wolverines scored the go-ahead layup with 1:10 left and went 4-of-4 on free throws in the final minute to clinch the 85-79 win.

The Huskers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 5, hosting Northwestern at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for noon and the game will be on BTN and the Huskers Radio Network.