Husker Men Defeat Bethune-Cookman

(Lincoln, NE) - Juwan Gary had 11 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five steals, as Nebraska improved to 2-0 with a 63-58 win over Bethune-Cookman Saturday night.

Gary keyed a Nebraska (2-0) effort that saw the Huskers hold Bethune-Cookman to 35.5 percent shooting and forced 22 Wildcat turnovers, as the Huskers won their 14th straight at home dating back to last season.

Nebraska, which shot 34.5 percent, built a 16-point second-half lead, but Bethune-Cookman (0-2) continued to battle, and the Huskers finally subdued the Wildcats by going 6-of-6 from the line in the last minute.

Leading 29-24 at the break, Brice Williams had six of his 10 points in the first 1:42 of the half, as the senior hit consecutive 3-pointers to give NU a 35-26 advantage. A couple minutes later, NU used a 9-0 spurt to build its largest lead of the game at 46-30 with 13:55 left.

Bethune-Cookman chipped away, using an 8-0 run to cut the deficit in half at 46-38 before Connor Essegian’s layup ended the Wildcat run. Nebraska led 51-41 after Braxton Meah’s 3-point play with 8:20 left in regulation, but could not extend it further, allowing the visitors to hang around.

Leading 57-50 with 1:47 left, the visitors kept battling and got to within three twice in the last minute, the final time at 61-58 after a Gianni Hunt basket with 18 seconds left, but Brice Williams was fouled and hit both free throws to make it a five-point game, as NU held on.

In the first half, Nebraska used a strong defensive effort to overcome a poor shooting, as the Huskers took a 29-24 lead into the locker room. Nebraska held Bethune-Cookman to 35.7 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers in the first half to overcome 26 percent shooting from the field.

Nebraska trailed 12-6 after a David Onanina basket at the 14:18 mark, but the Huskers responded with a 11-2 run to take a 17-14 lead after a pair of free throws from Berke Büyüktuncel, who finished with six points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.

The Huskers never trailed again the rest of the half, but Bethune-Cookman stayed in the game by hitting four 3-pointers, the last made it 27-24 with 35 seconds left in the half. Ahron Ulis sent the hosts to the locker room with a five-point lead, as he had a driving layup with just over two seconds left to give NU a 29-24 cushion.

The Big Red will conclude the three-game homestand, as they take on FDU on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT) at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tickets are still available for the matchup by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets.