Huskers Edge Kansas State for Hall of Fame Classic Crown
Sam Hoiberg’s free throw with 0.6 seconds remaining lifted Nebraska to an 86-85 win over Kansas State in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic Friday night.
Hoiberg was fouled after he grabbed the offensive rebound on Pryce Sandfort’s jumper on NU’s final possession. The senior, who finished with 13 points, hit the first one and intentionally missed the second as Kansas State got the rebound and called timeout with 0.1 seconds remaining.
The officiating crew went to the monitor and reset the clock to 0.9 seconds, giving Kansas State one last chance for the win. Pryce Sandfort sealed the win as he knocked away the inbounds pass to preserve the victory.
Ssndfort finished with a game-high 21 points to lead four Huskers (6-0) in double figures. Rienk Mast added 20 points, while Braden Frager came off the bench and had 16 points as Nebraska shot 54 percent on the night.
Frager, who averaged 18.0 points on 72 percent shooting in two games off the bench was named MVP while Mast, who averaged 18.5 points on 52 percent shooting, joined Frager on the all-tournament team.
PJ Haggerty had a game-high 27 points for Kansas State (5-1) while Abdi Bashir Jr. had 26 points, including seven 3-pointers in a losing effort.
Check back soon for a complete recap
Postgame Notes
*-Nebraska has now won 10 straight dating back to last year and 17 straight non-conference games dating back to last season. Both streaks lead the nation.
*-Nebraska’s 10 straight wins is the program’s longest win streak since 2010-11 and just the 11th time in school history NU has won 10 or more consecutive games.
*-Nebraska had multiple 20-point scorers for the third straight game with Pryce Sandfort (21) and Rienk Mast (20).
*-Rienk Mast (18.5 ppg on 52 percent shooting and 4.0 rpg) and Braden Frager (18.0 ppg on 72 percent shooting were named to the all-tournament team with Frager earning MVP honors.
*-Mast posted his second 20-point effort of the season and 14th of his career with 21 points
*-Pryce Sandfort led NU in scoring for the fourth time this season with 21 points. He has a team-high three 30-point games this season.
*-Frager posted his fourth double-figure game off the bench with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting on Friday.
*-Sam Hoiberg reached double figures for the second time this season with 13 points, including the go-ahead free throw free throw with 0.6 seconds left. Hoiberg went 6-of-6 from the field and added three steals.
*-Nebraska improves to 43-10 under Fred Hoiberg when scoring 80+ points including 34-7 over the last three years.
*-Nebraska’s posted its ninth double-figure run of the season with a (15-0) in the first half, including 11 straight points from Pryce Sandfort.
*-Nebraska shot 54.1 percent from the field, the third time in six games NU shot 50 percent.