Nebraska Closes 2019 with Win in Final Non-Conference Game

The non-conference slate of the schedule was up and down, but it ended with a win on Sunday.

“The inconsistency early was guys really trying to get a feel for everybody,” said coach Fred Hoiberg. “Your first road experience, how do you handle it? Obviously not very well with our two games against Georgia Tech and Creighton but then followed that up with a great performance at Indiana and followed that up with a great performance on a short prep against Purdue. This group is hopefully coming together and we’ll go out play consistently on both ends of the floor. We’re gonna have to.”

Consistency was clear on the defensive end from the get go as Nebraska(6-7, 1-1 Big Ten) jumped out to a 15-8 lead, forcing six turnovers with five steals. The Huskers would lead by as much as 18 in the first half where Texas A&M Corpus Christi(4-9, 0-2 Southland) shot just 25-percent from the field and committed 12 turnovers. Nebraska scored 12 points off turnovers and 18 points in the paint in the first 20 minutes.

“We were 1-for-13 from the three point line at halftime, but we got to the free throw line 19 times,” said Hoiberg. “A lot of that was Haanif [Cheatham] getting out in front of the ball and attacking the basket. You have to have that when the ball isn’t going in, and you have to be able to guard. I thought we did that tonight.”

Trailing by 13 at the break, the Islanders came out and closed the gap to 10 with 15:41 left. That would be the closest margin the rest of the way as Nebraska led by as much as 24 en route to a 73-52 win.

“We had a disappointing loss in our last one [North Dakota],” said Hoiberg. “I thought we bounced back especially on the defensive end tonight. Offensively, that ball really got moving in the second half. Defensive pressure led to some easy baskets and found a way to manufacture some easy points.”

Five Huskers reached double-digit scoring with Cheatham leading the way at 17 points and eclipsing the 1,000 point mark for his career. Cam Mack and Matej Kavas both scored 10.

Yvan Ouedraogo became the first Husker freshman to have a double-double since Shavon Shields accomplished the feat against Michigan State in 2013. Ouedraogo had career highs in both points (11) and rebounds (14).

“After halftime I was thinking don’t think about your missed shot and everything,” said Ouedraogo. “Just keep going. Keep going hard. Keep bringing some energy.”

The Huskers ended the game shooting just 34-percent from the floor and 28-percent from beyond the arc, but scored 24 points off 21 turnovers and had 15 points in transition.

Nebraska will begin 2020 with two Big Ten games at home, hosting Rutgers(9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) January 3 and Iowa(9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) January 7.