Husker Men Pull Away Late Vs Rider

(Lincoln, NE) -  The Nebraska men’s basketball team used a 17-0 second-half spurt to avert Rider’s upset bid in a NU’s 64-50 win Monday evening at Pinnacle Bank ArenaRider used an 8-0 run to trim Nebraska’s lead 47-46 after DJ Dudley’s basket with 10:41 remaining but could get no closer as the Huskers used timely shooting and a strong defensive effort to earn the win.

 Keisei Tominaga ignited the rally with consecutive 3-pointers to give NU a 53-46 lead and force a Bronc timeout. From there, it was all Huskers, as Nebraska (3-0) held the visitors scoreless for over nine minutes and forced 12 consecutive missed shots.

 Josiah Allick and Rienk Mast combined for nine straight Husker points before Jarron Coleman’s basket with 1:44 left gave NU a commanding 64-46 advantage. Mast posted his second straight double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds while Allick added 10 points and six boards. 

Nebraska held Rider (1-2) to just 30.4 percent shooting, including 6-of-25 from 3-point range. The Broncs shot just 23.1 percent in the second half. 

C.J. Wilcher led the Huskers (3-0) with 13 points, including a trio of first-half three-pointers, while Tominaga had nine points in 22 minutes in his first appearance since suffering an ankle injury on Oct. 29. Brice Williams added seven points and eight boards, as Nebraska enjoyed a 47-34 advantage on the glass.  

The Huskers, who improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2018-19, used a 13-2 spurt to break open a game which was tied at 17 with 8:25 left in the first half.  The Huskers eventually stretched the lead to 36-24 after Wilcher’s third 3-pointer of the game and took a 38-29 lead to the locker room.

Rider, which was the preseason pick to win the MAAC, could not go away, scoring the first five points of the second half to get within 38-34 after Allen Powell’s 3-pointer with 18:05 left. Trailing 45-36 after a Coleman free throw, Rider used an 8-0 run to get within one with 10:41 remaining but could get no closer. 

Corey McKeithan led Rider with a game-high 18 points while Mervin James added 10 points and five boards before fouling out. 

The Huskers return to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 13 to take on Stony Brook at 7 p.m. (CT). The game can be streamed on B1G+ and heard across the Huskers Radio Network. Tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED.