A Rienk Mast triple-double and hot shooting from 3-point range led the way for Nebraska men’s basketball in its 96-66 win over Florida International Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Mast Making Plays
The Mast triple-double — 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists — was the first of his career and just the third in Nebraska men’s basketball history, joining Dalano Banton on Dec. 17, 2020 and Cam Mack on Dec. 15, 2019.
“I kind of knew coming into the game that was going to be a passing game for me. I didn’t expect to score this much,” Mast said of his performance. “I kind of thought with how much they get up to the ball that I was gonna throw some back-cuts to the guys that shoot 3s. I knew I was going to have a good passing game, I didn’t foresee it going well scoring-wise either. I knew there was going to be opportunities to kick it out … I know we got so many shooters.”
One of those shooters was Pryce Sandfort. The Iowa transfer got it going offensively, particularly from distance. He made six of his nine 3-pointers in the game and was 7-of-11 from the field. His six 3-pointers tied his college career high.
Sandfort’s electricity on the offensive end was on full display in the first five minutes of the second half when he scored 14 of his game-high 20 points. That spark built the Huskers’ lead to 39 points with 10:36 left in the second half.
An 11-2 extended and 8-0 individual run showcased the shooting prowess he is capable of. He knocked down three 3-point shots and had a run-out for a layup, forcing an Florida International timeout.
“It is fun to see Pryce get it going the way that he did with that little stretch that he had to open up the second half,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “That took the lead up to 30-plus.”
Mast and Sandfort had tied FIU’s game total of 38 points with 11:07 on the clock in the second half.
Sam Hoiberg’s Impact
Senior guard Sam Hoiberg didn’t lead the team in scoring and might not be the headline player every game. His impact on the game is not just in the scoring column; it’s the little things.
In the FIU win, Hoiberg attempted just three shots, going 0-3, but he led the team with a plus-34 plus/minus in 24:24 of playing time. Hoiberg’s stat line: six assists, five rebounds, two steals and just one turnover.
“He’s made big plays in the first two games,” Fred Hoiberg said. “I thought he was the catalyst that got us going in the second half against West Georgia.”
The plus-34, that’s making an impact when the ball’s not going in the basket. It’s kind of what Sam has done in his career. He’s made winning plays.”
On the defensive end, Hoiberg seemed to always be around the ball and help Nebraska either get a deflection or force a turnover. The Huskers forced 20 turnovers in the game and had 10 points off of seven forced turnovers in the first two stanzas of the game.
3-Point Barrage
The Huskers’ 17 3-pointers were one shy of the program record of 18, set against Kansas on Feb. 24, 2002.
Sandfort’s six 3s led the team, but it was redshirt freshman Braden Frager who once again provided instant offense off the bench, knocking down three of his six attempts from beyond the arc. Connor Essegian was an efficient 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep.
There will not be many games where all three of the wing shooters are off from beyond the arc, and on Saturday, the trio was on fire. Combined Sandfort, Essegian and Frager shot 60% (12-of-20).
One of the differences in the game, and there were a lot, was the 3-point shooting disparity. Nebraska finished the game 17-of-34 (50%) to FIU’s 6-of-23 (26.1%).
Up next, the Huskers will face Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
