Nebraska ends Big Ten road skid with win at Indiana

[February 22, 2024]  Keisei Tominaga scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half and Jamarques Lawrence added a career-high 19 as Nebraska earned its first Big Ten road win of the season, beating Indiana 85-70 on Wednesday in Bloomington, Ind.
 
The Cornhuskers (19-8, 9-7 Big Ten) had lost their first seven conference road games, but they jumped on the Hoosiers (14-12, 6-9) early and withstood a second-half run to improve their NCAA Tournament resume. 

Feb 21, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Malik Reneau (5) looks to pass while guard C.J. Wilcher (0) and Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Rienk Mast (51) defend in the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska posted its third win in a row overall while Indiana dropped its third straight.

Tominaga was 8 of 15 from the field and 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Lawrence, a 26.7 percent 3-point shooter, was 5 of 5 from deep and 6 of 8 overall to go with six rebounds and five assists. Brice Williams added 18 points and Juwan Gary had 15 for the Cornhuskers, who tied a season high with 14 3-pointers.

Indiana got 22 points from Mackenzie Mgbako plus 17 points and 12 rebounds from Kel'el Ware. The Hoosiers shot only 42.6 percent overall, 4 of 21 (19 percent) from 3-point range, and missed 10 of 24 free-throw attempts.

Nebraska led 51-31 at the break thanks to 57.1 percent shooting. But the Cornhuskers were cold to start the second half, missing 12 of their first 14 shots while Indiana went on a 13-0 run that cut the gap to 57-53 with 11:59 left.

The Hoosiers got within three, only to see Nebraska score seven in a row and go up 66-56 on a Josiah Alick layup with 8:47 to go.

Indiana went almost six minutes without a field goal, during which time Nebraska extended the lead to as many as 16 points. The Hoosiers pulled within 78-68 on a Mgbako 3-pointer with 2:14 remaining but got no closer.

Nebraska hit nine 3-pointers in the first half, including three by Tominaga in a 70-second span to build an early 16-8 lead. A triple by Lawrence upped the margin to 29-16 with 9:12 left in the first half.

Indiana was 1 of 11 from 3-point range and shot 37.5 percent in the first half.

Nebraska returns home to host Minnesota on Sunday. Indiana visits Penn State on Saturday.

--Field Level Media

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.