Seniors lift Huskers to 78-74 win over Minnesota

On a night honoring two seniors and a graduating redshirt junior on Senior Night, Nebraska’s most veteran players came up big in the clutch time and again in a 78-74 home win over Minnesota.

The trio of Thorir Thorbjarnarson, Kobe Webster, and Derrick Walker combined to score 32 points, with the seniors Webster and Thorbjarnarson knocking down four game-deciding free throws in the final eight seconds to seal the victory.

After leading by as many as 13 points with 8:13 remaining, the Huskers saw their advantage dwindle to one with 14 seconds left to play. But the most experienced players on the roster stepped up in the biggest moments to give NU its second conference win of the season.

The Huskers (6-16 overall, 2-13 Big Ten) had five players score in double figures and six with at least nine points while shooting a Big Ten-high 54.5 percent from the field and a season-best 9-of-17 from behind the arc. They also matched their conference high with 19 assists on 30 made baskets.

That was enough to overcome 18 turnovers and an opponent Pinnacle Bank Arena record 41 points from Minnesota’s Marcus Carr. The junior guard matched Teddy Allen’s overall PBA record of 41, set just five days earlier vs. Penn State.

In some ways, Nebraska had one of its better first halves of the season. The Huskers shot 54 percent from the field with four made 3-pointers and nine assists on 13 made baskets.

In others, it was one of NU’s worst, as it committed 13 turnovers and was out-rebounded 12-2 on the offensive glass.

The game started well for Nebraska, as it jumped out to an 18-13 after the first eight minutes and then held a 26-22 advantage after a 3-pointer by Lat Mayen with 8:14 left in the half.

Things got ugly from there, though, as the two teams combined to shoot 3-of-25 from the field over the final eight minutes and traded five-minute scoring droughts. A layup by Dalano Banton with four seconds left sent Nebraska into halftime up 33-31.

An 11-4 run to start the second half gave NU its largest lead yet ay 44-35, and it later matched that on a put-back by Eduardo Andre that made it 53-49 with 12:08 remaining.

A flagrant one foul on Lat Mayen turned into a five-point possession for Minnesota less than a minute later and cut the score to four. But Banton responded by scoring seven straight points, and then a 3-pointer by Shamiel Stevenson gave the Huskers their biggest lead in Big Ten play at 64-51 with 8:13 to go.

But that lead steadily shrunk down to three with 3:10 left after Nebraska hit another four-minute scoring drought and allowed the Gophers to score 10 straight points.

A Carr layup got Minnesota within 74-73 with 14 seconds to play, leaving the outcome to be decided at the free-throw line in the final seconds. In all, Carr scored 19 of his 41 points in the last seven minutes.

But after going just 5-of-12 from the charity stripe over the game’s first 39 minutes, Webster and Thorbjarnarson knocked down four free throws in the last eight seconds to put the win away.

Banton finished with a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds, while Trey McGowens scored 11 with five assists.

Thorbjarnarson had a season-high 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists, and Webster added 10 points and four assists. Walker had his best game as a Husker, setting career marks with 12 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots, and 31 minutes of work.

Jamal Mashburn Jr. was the only other Gopher to score in double figures with 12 points, as Minnesota shot 34.4 percent from the field and went 8-for-30 from behind the arc.

Nebraska will get right back to action on Monday when it hosts Rutgers for its final home game of the season. That game will tip-off at 6 p.m. CT and will be televised on Big Ten Network.

1. Tonight was all about the seniors (and a junior)

Nebraska technically still has another home game to play on Monday and two more road games left to close out the regular season.

But with all of the uncertainty surrounding postponed/canceled games and the preference of having families travel to Lincoln on the weekend, the Huskers decided to honor their seniors and Walker.

That trio combined for 32 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in the victory. Even more, they accounted for the final 12 points over the last 7:23.

After the game, Thorbjarnarson, Webster, and Walker talked about how much winning tonight meant for them. Webster and Walker both had several family members in the stands cheering them on.

Thorbjarnarson had multiple friends and family staying up as late as 3:45 in the morning in Iceland to watch the game. He even had a screen set up courtside to talk with his family via Zoom before the game.

There were many moments when it felt like the game would end in another gut-punch collapse for Nebraska. But its veteran leaders refused to let their special night end in any other way than a victory.

2. Carr’s performance was special

Minnesota was without its best 3-pointer shooter in Gabe Kalschuer (broken finger) and 7-foot center Liam Robbins (ankle), leaving an already reeling team even more short-handed.

But the Gophers still had Carr.

The All-Big Ten guard was everything for UM on Saturday night, accounting for 55 percent of his team’s points, hitting six of its eight 3-pointers and 13 of its 18 free throws while playing all 40 minutes.

Carr’s 41 points tied for the third-most in Minnesota history and were the most by a Gopher since 1972.

After he put up 20 points on five made threes in the first half, though, Nebraska did a decent job containing him in the second half – as crazy as it sounds.

While Carr ended up with 21 points after halftime, he scored just two through the first 13 minutes of the second half. He carried UM during its late rally by posting 19 points in the final seven minutes, but 10 of those came on free throws.

McGowens gets a lot of credit for keeping Carr from doing any further damage, as he was assigned to guard Carr the majority of the game. Hoiberg joked after the game that “it’s not often you see a guy score 41 and say we did a hell of a job on him.”

3. Banton bounces back

The past 10 games since Nebraska returned from its month-long COVID-19 pause had not been kind to Banton.

One of the Huskers’ most all-around productive players through the first half of the season, the sophomore guard’s performance had been steadily declining over the last three weeks.

Banton had averaged just 6.2 points during that stretch on 32.8 percent from the field and 21.4 percent on 3-pointers while turning it over nearly three times per game.

While he remained in the starting lineup, his playing time shrank by the game, seeing 19 minutes vs. Purdue and then a season-low 13 vs. Penn State.

Something clicked with Banton on Saturday night, though. Not only did he score 14 for his highest point total since getting 17 vs. Michigan on Dec. 25, but he also came up with critical baskets, passes, and rebounds down the stretch.

Yes, he almost literally threw the game away with an awful downcourt pass that sailed over McGowens’ head for a turnover with 21 seconds left.

But Hoiberg said Banton played with much better pace and “purpose” against Minnesota. Hoiberg pointed to an isolation play that got Banton the ball in the post against a smaller guard, and Banton converted it into a bucket that gave NU its biggest lead of the night.

That play capped a stretch where the Toronto native scored nine of Nebraska’s 12 points and assisted on a Stevenson 3-pointer.

For the Huskers to be at their best, they need Banton to be at his.