Huskers men’s basketball tops Rutgers in double-digit win on the road

Piscataway, NJ. - Nebraska shot nearly 60 percent against the Big Ten’s best defense Tuesday night, riding an impressive offensive performance to an 82-72 road victory at Rutgers. The Huskers (13-14, 6-10) shot 58.2 percent on the game, knocking down 32-of-55 shots.

NU was 20-of-27 (74 percent) from inside the arc, and the Huskers added 12 3-pointers (12-for-28, 43 percent). Keisei Tominaga paced four Huskers in double figures with 22 points, his fourth straight 20-point effort. New Jersey native C.J. Wilcher added 17 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Sam Griesel produced a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds while dishing out five assists. Derrick Walker rounded out the double-figure scorers with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

Nebraska took advantage of excellent ball movement in Tuesday’s game, piling up 16 assists on 32 made field goals. Defensively, the Huskers scored 16 points off turnovers, outscoring Rutgers (16-10, 8-7) in that category.

After falling behind 35-34, Nebraska went on a 6-0 run with 1:13 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Griesel, to take a 40-35 lead, a score that would hold until halftime. Nebraska relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 40 points.

Following intermission, Nebraska kept widening that lead, expanding it to 61-54 before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Sam Hoiberg’s three, to grow the lead to 66-54 with 7:55 to go in the contest. The Scarlet Knights narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Cornhuskers still cruised the rest of the way for the 82-72 win. Nebraska shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting six shots from deep to score 18 of its 42 points. The Huskers begin a three-game homestand on Sunday afternoon, as the Maryland Terrapins come to town. Tipoff for the Alunmi Weekend game is set for 4 p.m. and tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets.