FIRST HALF ANALYSIS:
Florida International likes to get out and run, so the pace of this half was actually really good. Plenty of up and down the floor, but Nebraska started off the game a little better. Rienk Mast had himself
a half and had 7 points and 3 rebounds in the opening 4 minutes. FIU committed 5 turnovers in the opening 4 minutes, which caused some of their issues.
Nebraska had a double-digit lead in the opening 8 minutes, as the Huskers were shooting nearly 50% from the floor. FIU is known for their full-court press capabilities, but Nebraska neutralized that for the entire half. The Huskers moved the ball really well as they had 15 assists on 19 made field goals.
Larry Olayinka was a bright spot for FIU, as he was the only guy in double figures for them. Rienk Mast finished the half with a double-double, and the Huskers took a 49-28 lead into the locker room.
FIRST HALF STATS:
Florida International shot 13-35 for 37% from the floor in the first half. They went 2-12 for 17% from deep and did not attempt a free-throw. The Panthers collected 21 rebounds, 5 of which were offensive. FIU had 9 turnovers to just 5 assists. They had 8 bench points, all from Julian Mackey.
The Panthers were led by Larry Olayinka, who had 10 points. Mackey had 8. Four different Panthers had 3 rebounds each. Zawdie Jackson and Ashton Williamson had 2 assists.
Nebraska shot 19-37 for 51% from the floor. They went 10-20 for 50% from deep and 1-2 for 50% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 20 rebounds, 3 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 15 assists to just 4 turnovers. They had 21 bench points.
The Huskers were led by Rienk Mast, who had 14 points. Braden Frager had 11 off the bench. Mast also paced Nebraska with 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Sam Hoiberg had 4 rebounds and 4 assists, good enough for second on both categories.
SECOND HALF ANALYSIS:
Much like the game against West Georgia, Nebraska came out firing early in the second half. Pryce Sandfort, who was 0-5 in the first game, had 20 points by the 16-minute mark. Rienk Mast was flirting with a triple-double early, and the Huskers blew the door open. Nebraska had increased its lead to 30 just 3 minutes into the half. Nebraska was hitting a bunch of open looks, including many from beyond the arc.
The reason for the open looks was due to the great passing and ball movement by the offense. With 7:29 to go in the game, Mast had completed his triple-double with an assist. It is only the 3rd triple-double in Nebraska history, joining Cam Mack in 2019 and Delano Banton in 2020. 5 Huskers had reached double figures by this point, and it was on cruise control from there.
The only real blemish was the bench committing a fair number of turnovers late in the second half. It didn’t really matter that much in the grand scheme 0f things, but they will need to take care of the ball better the next time they see the floor.
FINAL STATS AND THOUGHTS:
Florida International shot 28-71 for 39% from the floor. They went 6-23 for 26% from deep and 4-6 for 67% from the free-throw line. The Panthers collected 40 rebounds, 17 of which were offensive. FIU had 20 turnovers compared to 13 assists. They had 26 bench points.
The Panthers were led by Larry Olayinka and Julian Mackey, who had 12 points each. Olayinka and Eric Dibami had 7 rebounds apiece. Zawdie Jackson had 4 assists to lead FIU. Dibami had 3 blocked shots.
Nebraska shot 37-67 for 56% from the floor. They went 17-34 for 50% from deep and 5-8 for 63% from the free-throw line. The Huskers collected 36 rebounds, 9 of which were offensive. Nebraska had 29 assists to 15 turnovers, but most of the turnovers came in the last 5 minutes. Nebraska had 46 bench points.
The Huskers had 5 guys in double figures, led by Pryce Sandfort’s 20. Rienk Mast had 18. Mast led the way in rebounds and assists with 12 and 10 respectively. Sam Hoiberg had 6 assists. Jared Garcia had 7 points and 6 rebounds in the last 7 minutes of play.
Nebraska did not have nearly as much rust today as they did on Monday night. It was a very solid showing by the Huskers, who had multiple scorers and moved the ball with great ease. Rienk Mast will go down in Husker lore with just the 3rd triple-double in Nebrasketball history. Sandfort showed why he was a coveted transfer. Frager is turning into a really good player. Essegian with another good performance off the bench.
I said that any one guy could carry the load, but multiple guys could score. Monday night, Jamarques Lawrence had 16 points, but today he only had 1. Sandfort had 3 on Monday night but had 20 today. Guys can pick each other up, which is a great benefit throughout the season. If the Huskers can shoot like this, they can be a real pain in conference play.
