FIRST HALF ANALYSIS:
Nebraska took control of the first half straight from the jump. Nebraska took a 13-4 lead in the opening 4 minutes courtesy of 6-8 shooting. The Huskers were particularly good from distance early, a trend
that would keep up throughout the half. The Nebraska lead reached 20 points by the under 8 timeout, as Nebraska had really balanced scoring from 5 different guys.
Nebraska started the night 7-9 from deep, while New Mexico was 0-6. Both teams were a little careless with the basketball, but Nebraska remained in control. Braden Frager was the first guy to reach double figures. Deyton Albury, who is New Mexico’s leading scorer, did something incredibly stupid with 1:38 to go in the half.
After Connor Essegian nearly took a flailing arm from another Lobos player while fighting for a rebound, Albury decided to half-slap/punch Essegian in the back of the head, earning him a flagrant 2 foul and an automatic ejection. Nebraska finished the half strong and took a 43-25 lead into the locker room.
FIRST HALF STATS:
Nebraska shot 16-31 for 52% from the floor. They went 9-19 for 47% from deep and 2-3 for 67% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 18 rebounds, only 2 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 12 assists to 9 turnovers. They had 19 bench points.
The Huskers were led by Braden Frager, who had 12 points off the bench. Jamarques Lawrence had 11. Sam Hoiberg led the way with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Hoiberg continues his role as the second leading rebounder on the team.
New Mexico shot 9-28 for 32% from the floor. They went 4-18 for 22% from deep and 3-6 for 50% from the free-throw line. The Lobos collected 15 rebounds, 3 of which were offensive. New Mexico had 10 turnovers to 6 assists. They had just 9 bench points.
The Lobos were led by Jake Hall, who had 6 points. Antonio Chol and Uriah Tenette each had 5. Chol also led the team with 4 rebounds. Deyton Albury finished the night with 3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals before his ejection.
SECOND HALF ANALYSIS:
Nebraska, who usually gets off to a good start in the second half, definitely did not this time around. New Mexico started the half with a 19-8 run in the opening 5:30. New Mexico started the half 5-7 from the 3-point line. Nebraska’s hot shooting went incredibly cold in the opening 8 minutes, as they started 3-11 from the floor, while the Lobos went 8-15.
New Mexico cut the lead all the way down to 4, but that was the closest they would get. Balanced scoring from Nebraska kept New Mexico at bay. Nebraska wasn’t taking care of the basketball, as they had 7 turnovers in the opening 10 minutes. Berke Buyuktuncel picked up his 4th foul with 7:53 to go.
The Huskers would go on a 7-0 run right after that to give the Huskers a 13 point lead. New Mexico would not get it back closer than 9 points, and the Huskers closed things out to remain undefeated.
FINAL STATS AND THOUGHTS:
Nebraska shot 27-57 for 47% from the floor. They went 13-35 for 37% from deep and 17-25 for 68% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 38 rebounds, 5 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 20 assists to 18 turnovers. Nebraska had 27 bench points.
The Huskers were led by Jamarques Lawrence, who had 21 points. Braden Frager had 20 off the bench. Frager led the way with 8 rebounds, while Sam Hoiberg and Berke Buyuktuncel each had 7. Hoiberg had 6 assists.
New Mexico shot 26-67 for 39% from the floor. They went 13-44 for 30% from deep and 7-11 for 64% from the free-throw line. The Lobos collected 36 rebounds, 8 of which were offensive. New Mexico had 18 assists to 16 turnovers. They had 22 bench points.
The Lobos were led by Jake Hall, who had 20 points. Antonio Chol and Tomislav Buljan had 7 rebounds each. Chris Howell led the way with 6 assists.
Nebraska looked like they were going on an easy cruise early in this contest as they had a 20 point lead. Credit to New Mexico for making this a game, as they lead was cut to 4 halfway through the second half. The Huskers did a great job of responding and keeping the Lobos at bay. There were way too many turnovers, going from only 2 against Oklahoma to 18 tonight.
If Nebraska wants to be successful against tougher opponents, this absolutely can’t happen. The defense seemed to go away in the second half for a large chunk, much like the first half against the Sooners. The rotations seemed a half-step slow and the Lobos got many open looks. Nebraska will take on the winner of Kansas State and Mississippi State tomorrow night at 8:30 in Kansas City.
