Nebraska is a maddening team to watch as they show streaks of excellence but also streaks of ‘what $*%$ did I just watch?’ With this loss, the Huskers are 16-8 overall and 5-8 in the Big Ten. They are squarely
on the bubble for the NCAA tournament and need to start stacking wins to get into the dance. They sit in 12th place in an 18-team conference. The Big Ten is brutal – Nebraska is receiving votes in the polls and ranks 25th in the NET but cannot get that elusive Quad-1 win as they now are 0-fer against ranked teams.
Britt Prince led Nebraska with 15 points, Jess Petrie had 14, Amiah Hargrove scored 13 and Logan Nissley 12. Prince also led the rebounding with seven. Nissley and Hake each dished four assists. The field goal efficiency was the metric most pundits expected to decide the game and they were right. Nebraska was 24-58 (41%) and Minnesota 31-59 (53%). Nebrask was outrebounded 36-29 but the turnovers were even at 16. The statistic that popped off the page was paint points as Minnesota demolished the Husker posts to the tune of 52-22.
First Quarter Notes
Nebraska started Prince, Hake, Nissley, Hargrove and Petrie. The Gophers raced out to a 4-0 lead before a Petrie three got the Huskers on the scoreboard (4-3 Minn) almost two minutes into the game. Minnesota does not turn the ball over much, but they have committed two so far (the Huskers also have two). Nebraska’s turnovers came off passes that have a little too much air – a nod to the excellent defense of Minnesota. The Gophers led 13-7 at the under-five timeout.
Petra Bozan entered the game to provide more of an interior presence against the 6’5” Gopher center Grocholski. The Huskers needed to have a very efficient shooting night to win this and they were only 30% (3-10) in the first seven minutes. Conversely, the Gophers were at 64% (9-14). The Gophers continued to grow their lead (26-11 Minn) in an ugly first quarter for the Huskers.
Minnesota 26 Nebraska 13
Second Quarter Notes
The quarter started slowly for both teams with Prince hitting paydirt first (26-15 Minn). There was a lot of contact happening without foul calls, but it was consistently not called on both ends. Nebraska’s play style felt rushed and desperate. Minnesota was more physical and more disciplined. It felt like the game was already over 13 minutes in (34-17 Minn). The only break for the Huskers was when Minnesota’s Grocholski picked up her second foul. This game got worse and worse (40-19 Minn) before the five-minute mark.
Hey look! The lead was cut to under 20 (41-23 Minn).
Oh wait, it quickly went back to 20 (45-25 Minn).
Nebraska battled back on the boards and only trailed the Gophers 17-16. Minnesota’s Hart picked up her second foul and Fisher went to the line and made both (47-28 Minn). McKinney for the Gophers committed her second foul with one second left. Prince knocked down her 55th and 56th straight free throws to remain perfect in conference play.
Minnesota 49 Nebraska 30
Britt Prince scored 10 in the first half and also tied with Petrie for the team lead in rebounds with four. Nebraska is 9-26 (34%) from the field and only 2-10 from long range. Minnesota is 19-34 (56%) and 3-10 from the three-point line. The Huskers have 11 turnovers compared to six for the Gophers. Nebraska’s paint presence is almost non-existent as they are being outscored 32-10 down low.
The Huskers have had a marginal defense all season but the lack of physicality in the paint especially exposed holes for opponents to scout and exploit. Minnesota’s personnel have taken advantage at a higher level than most. The Huskers will have to find more energy and start hitting from long range to get back in this one.
Third Quarter Notes
Both teams scored right out of the gate but Nebraska found a bit of a rythmn as back-to-back Petrie three-pointers cut into the lead (53-38). Amy Williams appealed a call where Prince scrapped for a turnover but the refs ruled it went out of bounds off her hand. The call was overturned and Petrie continued her hot streak to pull the Huskers within 13 (53-40 Minn). AND THEN a Prince three-pointer but the lead to 10 (53-43 Minn). Anyone writing the Husker obituary had to put that aside and reset.
The 10-point margin held up for over a minute before the shortest player on the floor, Kennadi Williams drove into the trees for a layup (53-45 Minn). The Gophers broke the Husker run with a three-point play (56-45 Minn) and Weaver committed her third foul and was replaced by Prince, who got a breather for a chunk of that Husker run.
The Gopher lead fluctuated between eight/nine and 11 in the next few minutes and they committed seven turnovers in the quarter. A Hargrove three capped the scoring and she almost got two more as her running buzzer beater from the top of the key fell off the front rim. The Huskers looked a lot more confident and energetic to close the frame.
Minnesota 60 Nebraska 52
Fourth Quarter Notes
The Huskers played with energy but the points all went Minnesota’s way as they scored seven to start the quarter (67-52 Minn). Two minutes in, Nissley provided a much-needed Husker basket with a three-pointer (67-55 Minn). Amiah Hargrove made it a five-point Husker run and then Petrie put on her hero cape by drawing an offensive foul and then hitting a three-pointer (67-60 Minn). Amiah Hargrove’s rebounding was key in this sequence. A Gopher two-point basket was answered by a Nissley three (69-63 Minn) before the quarter mid-point.
Both teams hit clutch shots but the Gophers extended the lead back to nine (74-65 Minn) at 3:24. The Gophers grabbed back the momentum and the clock started to work against them. Minnesota’s lead again reached double digits as the clock wound under 2:30 (78-65 Minn). Turnovers and fouls led to a bigger Gopher lead (80-65 Minn) with 1:24.
Garbage time.
Final. Minnesota 84 Nebraska 67
Next Game
Nebraska hosts Iowa on Monday (Feb 16) for an 11 am tipoff at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
