Huskers take care of business in win over Idaho St.

Having lost two of its first three games to start the season, Nebraska not only needed a win at home against Idaho State on Friday night, but it also had to build up some positive vibes in the process.

The Huskers accomplished both of those tasks with a 78-60 victory over the Bengals, as they racked up a season-high 18 assists on 31 made baskets and led by as many as 26 before all was said and done.

“Our big message was when you share the ball, good things happen, and that’s exactly what we did,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said during his post-game radio show on the Husker Sports Network.

“I thought early we set the tone with high assist totals, percentage on our baskets made, and kept on going… Overall, I’m really pleased with the effort tonight.”

Junior forward Derrick Walker led the way with a team-high 14 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting, while the point guard combination of Alonzo Verge Jr. (4) and Kobe Webster (5) combined for nine of NU’s 18 assists.

Nebraska shot 54.4 percent from the field as a team and had nine different players score in the victory.

The Huskers ended up with a whopping 37-12 advantage in bench points, led by a career-high 11 from Keisei Tominaga, and held a 42-14 edge in points in the paint.

Defensively, Nebraska converted 25 points from 15 ISU turnovers while swiping eight steals, three coming from C.J. Wilcher, who added 10 points and four boards off the bench.

This was NU’s first game without junior guard Trey McGowens, who suffered a broken bone in his foot last time out vs. Creighton. Keon Edwards got the start in McGowens’ place and finished with two points on one shot attempt and a foul in 15 minutes of work.

Verge posted 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with four assists, four rebounds, and two steals in 21 minutes. Bryce McGowens filled the stat sheet with six points, a team-high seven boards, three assists, a block, and a steal.

As a team, NU tied Idaho State with 31 rebounds each (10-6 offensive) and was only out-scored 8-7 in second-chance points.

“Overall, we were much better on the glass, and when we rebound and we get out in transition, that’s certainly when we’re at our best,” Hoiberg said.

The Huskers will have a quick turnaround before returning to action against Southern on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. CT at Pinnacle Bank Arena.