Nebraska men’s basketball extended the nation’s longest winning streak to seven with a 69-50 win over Maryland Eastern Shore Tuesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The defense was the constant that carried over from the first two games of the season. However, the shooting consistency was clearly not there for Nebraska in the first half.
In the first four UMES possessions, the Huskers forced three of the Hawks’ 10 first-half turnovers.
Coming into the game, UMES had the country’s 363rd-rated offensive efficiency out of 365 Division I men’s basketball teams. In the first 20 minutes, it looked like they were headed for the 365th spot, though the Huskers weren’t much better. Nebraska was just 10-of-28 from the field and 4-of-17 from 3-point range. The Huskers held the Hawks to just 6-of-28 (21.4%) shooting from the field.
“I thought the slow start had to do with the ball wasn’t going in the basket,” Coach Fred Hoiberg said. “I thought we got great looks, I thought our defense was really, really good … The numbers speak for themselves.”
UMES shot just 31% in the game, the third straight opponent the Huskers have held under 40% shooting from the field.
The second half was a much different story. Nebraska came out and had a focus on attacking the paint, which resulted in either layups or the ball moving inside out.
“We liked the looks we were getting,” Sam Hoiberg said. “We knew we weren’t getting in the paint enough and we wanted to punch it inside.”
The Huskers opened up the half with an 8-2 run with all four of their makes coming at the rim.
“I thought the second half we did a good job of attacking their feet and getting the ball in the paint much better than we did in the first half,” Hoiberg said.
Sam Hoiberg Career Night
Through three games, another constant for the Huskers has been Sam Hoiberg’s production.
“My main thing is just trying to affect winning, and I think I did that tonight, so I’m happy with that,” Hoiberg said.
Saturday against FIU, Hoiberg was a team-best plus-34. Tuesday against UMES, Hoiberg recorded three career highs: points (18), rebounds (seven) and steals (four) while contributing four assists to zero turnovers.
“I thought Sam’s defensive rebounding was huge in the first half,” Fred Hoiberg said. “I think all seven of his rebounds came in the first 20 minutes … Sam played well. I was happy with Sam’s game tonight.”
Hoiberg’s effort and energy were key for Nebraska to sustain a lead even when the shots weren’t falling in the first half.
“I always want to bring great energy, that’s been my thing my entire career,” Sam Hoiberg said. “I’ve never been a big fill up the stat sheet guy, especially with points. I’ve always known I’m capable of it, so it feels good to get some baskets tonight.”
Plenty to Work On
The finish on Tuesday night was less than ideal for the Huskers. A 31-point lead at the under-12 media timeout of the second half evaporated into the 19-point win.
“We talked about it in the locker room after the game,” Fred Hoiberg said. “You’ve got to have a killer mentality in today’s climate; every point matters. You got to find a way to finish the game better than we did.”
Nebraska faces its toughest test on Saturday in a neutral-site game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, versus Oklahoma at 6 p.m. CT.
There is plenty for the Huskers to improve on with an off day on Wednesday and two pivotal practices on Thursday and Friday.
“You got to have two unbelievable days of preparation heading into this one,” Coach Hoiberg said. “That’s our only chance to compete against a team like this.
“We took care of business, we did what we were supposed to do, and now we got a huge test coming up with a really good team, a very well-coached team that was in the tournament last year that is playing in as good of a league as any in the country.”
