The Nebraska men's basketball team built a double-digit lead late in the first half, and the Huskers never trailed again in a 69-61 upset of No. 21 Maryland Thursday afternoon in a second-round Big Ten Tournament matchup at the United Center.
Nebraska (18-15) led for more than 33 minutes and trailed for just 2:19, advancing to Friday's quarterfinal matchup with No. 4 seed and 19th-ranked Wisconsin. Tipoff for Friday's game is set for approximately 2 p.m. (Central), or 25 minutes after the conclusion of the Michigan State-Ohio State quarterfinal, which begins at 11:30 a.m. (Central).
The Huskers held Maryland to 36 percent shooting and just 18 field goals, marking the Terrapins' fourth-worst shooting percentage of the season and second-fewest field goals. Nebraska also limited a talented Maryland frontcourt to just 22 points in the paint, and the Huskers recorded eight steals. Offensively, Nebraska got 58 points from its big three of James Palmer Jr., Glynn Watson Jr. and Isaiah Roby. Palmer hit 8-of-13 shots en route to a game-high 24 points, while Watson scored 19 points and Roby added 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks. But the victory was a true team effort, as the Huskers got two points and a game-high nine rebounds from Tanner Borchardt, a career-high five points and four rebounds from Johnny Trueblood and four points, four rebounds and a career-high five steals from Thorir Thorbjarnarson.
Anthony Cowan led Maryland (22-10) with 18 points, while Darryl Morsell chipped in 14 points and Eric Ayala scored 12 points. Nebraska held first-team All-Big Ten pick Bruno Fernando to a season-low three points in 35 minutes.
Nebraska overcame a slow shooting start to put together a strong first half on both ends on its way to a 32-20 halftime lead. After missing its first six shots of the game, the Huskers went 11-of-18 the rest of the half, including hitting seven of their final nine shots. Defensively, Nebraska limited Maryland to 29 percent shooting in the first half and allowed just two field goals over the final nine minutes.
The Huskers went more than four minutes without a basket to open the game, but led 7-5 at the 14-minute mark after Watson scored five straight points. The lead then changed hands four times over the next two minutes before a 5-0 run put Nebraska ahead by four and Maryland responded with four straight points to tie the game at 14. After Maryland pulled even, Nebraska used a 13-2 run over the next six mix minutes to build a double-digit lead. The run began with six straight points and after a Maryland basket, the Huskers rattled off seven consecutive points. Nebraska pushed the lead to as many as 13, before a Watson jumper with 14 seconds left sent the Huskers into the locker room with a 12-point advantage.
Nebraska stretched the lead to 14 when Roby hit a 3-pointer less than a minute into the second half. But the Huskers missed their next 10 shots while going more than five minutes without scoring, and Maryland took advantage with nine straight points to pull within five at 35-30. That would be as close as the Terrapins would get the rest of the game, as Nebraska made 12 of its final 19 shots from that point. Nebraska immediately answered Maryland's 9-0 run with nine straight points of its own over the next two minutes to push the lead back to 14 with 11:50 remaining.
The Huskers had chances to extend their lead as Maryland had a six-minute stretch without a field goal, but Nebraska could not push the lead above 14. The Terrapins then scored five straight points in 14 seconds to cut the lead to nine, but the Huskers came back with five straight points of their own to build a 51-37 advantage with eight minutes remaining. Nebraska maintained at least a 10-point advantage until Maryland scored five straight points to cut the lead to 58-50 with four minutes to play. The lead was down to six until Trueblood grabbed an offensive rebound to keep a Husker possession alive, and Palmer drilled a 3-pointer to push the lead back to nine with 1:29 remaining. Nebraska had another three-point possession its next trip down the court to stretch the lead to 10 and put the game away. The Huskers hit six of their final eight shots to seal the win.
LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska football team practiced for a little over two hours on Wednesday morning in full pads inside the Hawks Championship Center. Defensive Coordinator Erik Chinander spoke to the media after practice about how he thought his defense has looked during the second week of spring ball. "Today's workout, I thought the offense got up a little bit early and then we made a nice comeback," Chinander said. "The guys kind of huddled themselves together and got the energy up, and we started flying around. We finished practice really, really strong, and I think we're moving in the right direction." He went on to discuss the strides the defense has made and how far the unit has come since last spring.
"Even talking to some of the parents down there today, they noticed it," Chinander said. "It's faster-paced, it's cleaner. The guys know how to practice, they know how to transition from drill to drill, and we almost don't have to tell them. The stamina, maybe, is better. It was hard at first for these kids to get through practice the way we wanted them to and at the tempo we wanted...this year they are easily doing it. I think the strength and conditioning has a huge part in that with Coach [Zach] Duval. I think the tempo of practice is the most impressive thing right now." Chinander also talked about what has stood out to him about the defensive line. "It's a deep group right now," he said. "With the Davis brothers [Carlos and Khalil] and [Ben] Stille coming back, and now the two Daniels brothers [Damion and Darrion] and the addition of [Darrion]. There's just a ton of guys, but I really like the violence they're playing with up front, and they're really running to the football right now." Chinander sang the praises of Darrion Daniels, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma State, and explained what he brings to the defensive line. "I think he's brought some experience, he's brought some leadership," Chinander said. "He's not afraid to speak his mind and he does it in a proper manner. He's not trying to be the guy that comes in here [and says] 'I'm going to run this team right away.' By the way that he works, the way that he drills and the way he runs to the ball in practice, those guys are naturally starting to listen and follow along with him." The Huskers will continue their spring season with a morning practice on Friday. The annual Red-White Spring Game will be played on Saturday, April 13 at Memorial Stadium with kickoff set for 1 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network with the Husker Sports Network providing live radio coverage.
LINCOLN –The Nebraska softball team (10-9) continues competition on the road this weekend when it travels back to the state of Kansas for the Rock Chalk Challenge, hosted by KU.Nebraska will play Tulsa and Kansas twice for a total of four games. On Saturday, Nebraska plays Tulsa at 11 a.m. followed by a game against Kansas at 1:30 p.m. On Sunday, Nebraska’s schedule is the same.
Last Time Out
Nebraska looks to bounce back this weekend after being swept by Wichita State March 9-10 in Kansas. The Shockers outscored the Huskers, 23-8, over the three-game series and also pitched a no-hitter in game two of the series. Tristen Edwards led Nebraska over the weekend at the plate going 3-for-8 (.375) with one run, one homer and four RBIs.
Scouting Tulsa
Tulsa enters the weekend with a 14-8 record. The Hurricane are coming off its best win of the season, after knocking off No. 14 Arkansas on Wednesday in its mid-week game. Tulsa topped the Razorbacks 2-1 in Arkansas. The Hurricane have won four of their last five games dating back to March 2. Tulsa is hitting .264 as a team. Julia Hollingsworth leads the team with a .468 average through 19 starts. She has a team high 29 hits and three triples. She also has 14 runs, which rank second on the team, one double and nine RBIs. Josie Muffley is also hitting above .400, with a .434 average. Muffley has made 20 starts and played in 21 games. She has a team-best 18 runs and also has 23 hits, six doubles, one homer and 12 RBIs. In the circle, Chenise Delce leads the Hurricane with an ERA of 1.84 through nine starts. She has a 5-3 record and has pitched a team-high 53.1 innings. She also has 44 strikeouts. Kassidy Scott (4-1) has an ERA of 2.86 and has pitched 44.0 innings, which ranks second on the team. She’s made five starts and 13 appearances and has a team-high three saves. She also has 28 strikeouts. Samantha Pochop (4-4) has pitched 37.2 innings, which ranks third on the team. However, Pochop has a team-high 46 strikeouts. She also has a two solo shutouts and a team-high four complete games. Pochop has an ERA of 2.97. As a team, Tulsa is fielding .945, averaging 1.6 errors a game. The Hurricane have given up 24 unearned runs this season.
Scouting Kansas
Kansas enters the Rock Chalk Challenge with a 5-17 record. The Jayhawks are getting a full week off after their mid-week game against Omaha on Tuesday was rescheduled for next week due to weather. Most recently, KU hosted the Jayhawk Invitational March 8-10. Kansas went 1-3 over the weekend and had one game canceled. The Jayhawks defeated Maine but lost to Southeastern Missouri twice and UMKC. As a team, Kansas is hitting .251. Shelby Gayre, Madison Kykes and Brynn Minor are all hitting above .300. Gayre leads the way with a .383 average. She also has six runs, three doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs. Sykes leads the starters with a .368 average. She has a team-high 25 hits and 12 RBIs. She also has eight runs, four doubles and two home runs. Minor is hitting .321. She has nine hits, one run and five RBIs. A double threat, Minor also leads the KU pitching staff. She’s carried most of the load this season, pitching 71.0 innings - nearly half of the team’s total (142.2 innings). She’s made 15 appearances, including 10 starts and four complete games. She also has the team’s only shutout. Minor has a record of 2-9 and an ERA of 3.85. She also has 33 strikeouts and has KU’s two saves this season. Lexy Mills has seen the second-most action in the circle for the Jayhawks. However, she leads the team with 41 strikeouts. Mills has a 2-4 record and a 5.67 ERA. She’s pitched 33.1 innings, made 12 appearances and seven starts. She’s also pitched one complete game.
Follow the Huskers
A live radio broadcast will be available on Huskers.com and the official Huskers App for all of Nebraska’s games this season. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter (@HuskerSoftball).
Wallace Making Moves
The Nebraska Athletic Department on Wednesday announced that the three-game series against New Mexico State has been canceled due to field conditions. The series was originally scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Hawks Field. The athletic department will issue refunds to the ticket holder on record for all tickets purchased through the Ticket Office to the New Mexico State games.
Senior left-handed pitcher Nate Fisher earned Big Ten Co-Pitcher-of-the-Week accolades on Monday after his performance against No. 21 Baylor on Saturday. Fisher, making his fourth start of the season, threw a career-high 8.0 no-hit innings against the Bears. He recorded six strikeouts and only one walk to help NU knock off Baylor, 2-0. Fisher was perfect through 5.1 innings before allowing his lone walk of the game. Baylor didn’t record its first hit of the game until two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning after Fisher was taken out. It marked Nebraska’s first combined one-hit game since March 6, 2013 when six pitchers contributed to the one-hit effort against Northern Colorado. During Saturday’s outing, Fisher surpassed 100.0 career innings pitched at Nebraska. He shares this week’s award with Indiana’s Pauly Milto.
Wichita State, Kan. - The Nebraska softball team (10-9) led through six and a half innings, but Wichita State (17-5) hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth en route to a 7-5 victory in game two of Sunday's doubleheader. With the win, the Shockers completed the weekend sweep.
The Huskers out-hit the Shockers 7-5. Tristen Edwards led NU going 2-for-3 with one run, two RBIs and a home run. Lindsey Walljasper also had a home run for Nebraska. Rylie Unzicker, Alyiva Simmons, Samantha Owen and Lexey Kneib also had hits.
Regan Mergele started in the circle for the Huskers, pitching 4.0 innings and giving up three runs - two unearned - on three hits. She also had one strikeout. Lindsey Walljasper dropped to 4-4 on the season. She pitched 2.0 innings of relief and gave up four runs. She also had one strikeout.
Hailey Martinez improved to 2-0 for Wichita State, pitching 2.2 innings. She gave up one run on three hits. Erin McDonald got her third save of the season. She started the game, but left when WSU was behind. She came back in for the seventh inning, pitching a total of 3.0 innings and giving up three runs on four hits. She also had two strikeouts.
For the third straight game, Nebraska scored in the first inning. Simmons hit a one-out triple and Owen singled to score her.
In the second, Kneib hit a two-out triple to put a runner in scoring position, but she was stranded there WSU got a strikeout. In the bottom of the inning, the Shockers tied it up. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases and another walk scored one run.
Nebraska took back the lead in the third, scoring two runs. Simmons drew a leadoff walk and Edwards sent the first pitch of her at bat deep over the center field fence to put the Huskers up 3-1.
In the fourth, Cassidy drew a leadoff walk. Anni Raley pinch ran for her and reached second on a sac bunt by Payton Huscroft. She reached third on a wild pitch and Kneib drew a walk to put runners on the corners with one out. Rylie Unzicker's successful squeeze bunt scored Raley to put the Huskers up 4-1. In the bottom of the inning, WSU scored two unearned runs to cut the lead to 4-3. A leadoff single put a runner on base. She reached second on an error. A walk put another runner on base. A fielder's choice loaded the bases, but an error on the play allowed all the runners to move up a base. The Shockers cut the lead to 4-2. A sacrifice fly scored another run for the Shockers.
Walljasper hit a solo homer in the sixth to extend the lead to 5-3. In the bottom of the inning, WSU loaded the bases with one out after a single and two walks. Walljasper got a big strikeout but a grand slam gave the Shockers a 7-5 lead.
Nebraska couldn't make up the difference in the seventh.
Nebraska concludes non-conference play next weekend when the Huskers travel to Lawrence, Kan., for the Rock Chalk Challenge on March 16-17. The Huskers will play Tulsa and host-school Kansas, twice for a total of four games.
Waco, Texas – The Nebraska baseball team (6-7) led No. 21 Baylor 3-2 after three innings, but the Bears scored eight unanswered runs en route to a 10-3 win at Baylor Ballpark on Sunday afternoon. The Huskers won each of the first two games of the series before falling in Sunday’s finale.
Sophomore left-hander Connor Curry, making his first start since 2017, threw 3.0 innings and allowed two runs before leaving the game. Nebraska saw relief outings from Reece Eddins (1.1 innings), Shay Schanaman (0.2), Paul Tillotson (1.2) and Mike Waldron (1.1).
Mojo Hagge was the lone baserunner in a scoreless top of the first. He drew a two-out walk before a groundout ended the frame. The Bears went down in order in the bottom of the first.
Cam Chick drew a two-out walk in the top of the second, but was thrown out on a fielder’s choice to the following hitter. In the bottom of the second, the first two Baylor batters produced outs before the Bears scored two runs to take a 2-0 lead. Josh Bissonette, Mack Mueller and Andy Thomas notched three hits in a row to put BU on the scoreboard.
In the top of the third, the Huskers responded with three runs to take a 3-2 lead. Each of the first six hitters reached, as Jaxon Hallmark laced a leadoff single before four consecutive walks. Luke Roskam notched his 98th career hit with an RBI single. Baylor managed a leadoff double in the bottom of the third, but left the runner stranded in a scoreless inning for the Bears.
Colby Gomes reached on a leadoff walk to start the fourth, but was caught stealing. Spencer Schwellenbach hit a single, but was left on base in a scoreless frame. Baylor tied it at 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth off two hits and left one runner on base.
Aaron Palensky hit a one-out single in the fifth before Roskam was hit-by-pitch. The two baserunners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. The next two batters struck out to leave them stranded. Baylor retook the lead at 8-3 with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. Each of the first six Bears batters reached base with five hits and one hit-by-pitch.
Nebraska couldn’t plate a run in the top of the sixth. Gomes was hit-by-pitch in the leadoff spot before back-to-back fielder’s choice plays. Schwellenbach reached second on a wild pitch, but a groundout ended the frame. Baylor tallied two base hits in the bottom of the sixth, but didn’t extend its lead.
All three Husker batters struck out in the top of the seventh. Baylor scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to extend its lead to 10-3. The Bears managed four hits during the inning.
Chick drew a one-out walk in the top of the eighth, but was left stranded in a scoreless inning for the Big Red. Baylor tallied a hit in a scoreless bottom of the eighth before the Huskers went down in order in the top of the ninth.
The Huskers return to action for their first home series of the season when New Mexico State visits Hawks Field for a three-game set beginning on Friday at 6:35 p.m. (CT). Game 2 is set for Saturday at 2:05 p.m., before Sunday’s finale at 12:05 p.m.
Lincoln - It was a memorable Senior Day for the Nebraska men's basketball team on Sunday, as the Huskers erased a 16-point second-half deficit and scored 16 points in the final 47 seconds of regulation to force overtime in an eventual 93-91 victory over Iowa in front of 15,821 fans at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Seniors James Palmer Jr. and Glynn Watson Jr. combined for 15 points in the final minute of regulation, helping Nebraska erase a nine-point deficit. NU trailed 74-65 with 50 seconds remaining, but Palmer and Watson hit four 3-pointers over the next 38 seconds, with a Watson three bringing Nebraska to within 80-79 with 23 seconds left. After Iowa connected on 1-of-2 free throws, Palmer tied the game with a driving layup with 12 seconds remaining, and Nebraska withstood an Iowa 3-point attempt in the closing seconds.
Already missing starter Thomas Allen Jr., who sat out the game with an injury, Nebraska played the entire overtime period without two more starters – Isaiah Roby and Tanner Borchardt – who both fouled out as the Huskers made their comeback. But even without three starters, the Huskers operated efficiently on the offensive end, going 5-of-6 from the field in overtime. Nebraska grabbed its first lead since midway through the first half when Thorir Thorbjarnarson hit a layup 32 seconds into overtime. Iowa responded by scoring five of the next seven points to take a one-point lead. The Hawkeyes led by two following a Joe Wieskamp 3-pointer with 2:26 to play, but Nebraska would hold Iowa two just two points the rest of the way.
Palmer and Watson scored the next four points to give Nebraska a two-point advantage and after Iowa tied the game, it was freshman Amir Harris, who delivered the game-winner with a layup with 10 seconds remaining. Thorbjarnarson then blocked Ryan Bohannon’s potential game-winning 3-pointer as time expired.
Nebraska ended the regular season with a 16-15 record after posting the largest comeback since rallying from a 19-point deficit against Iowa on Feb. 23, 2013. The Huskers finished with a 6-14 mark in conference play. Nebraska is the No. 13 seed for the Big Ten Tournament and will face 12th-seeded Rutgers on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. (Central).
Palmer led Nebraska with a game-high 27 points, while Watson added 23 points in the final home game for the senior duo. Isaiah Roby gave Nebraska three players with 20 points for the first time since 2007, as he scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Luka Garza led Iowa with a career-high-tying 25 points and Jordan Bohannon added 20. The Hawkeyes finished the regular season with a 21-10 record and a 10-10 mark in Big Ten play.
