Men’s Nebraska Basketball Struggles Against Creighton; Falls 77-62

Dec 7, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Anton Gill (1) looks down in the final moments of the game against the Creighton Bluejays in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Creighton won 77-62. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Anton Gill (1) looks down in the final moments of the game against the Creighton Bluejays in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Creighton won 77-62. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

The men’s Nebraska basketball team lost its fourth game of the season falling to the No. 10 Creighton Bluejays by a lopsided margin.

Game Summary

Maurice Watson Jr. played his best game of the year, scoring a season-high 25 points. Cole Huff complimented Watson Jr. with another 13 as Creighton dominated Nebraska in the second half of a 77-62 win over their in-state rival Wednesday night.

The Huskers (5-4) have lost 15 of 18 meetings to the Bluejays (9-0) by double-digits, including the last six.

Nebraska was within one point at halftime, trailing 31-30. However, the Bluejays held the Cornhuskers scoreless for the first six-and-a-half minutes of the second stanza, expanding their lead to 51-37 before going up by as many as 21 points in the last three minutes of the game.

Tai Webster led the Huskers in scoring with 16 points, while Ed Morrow added a team-high 13 rebounds.

The Big Red shot a lackluster 32.4 percent for the game and went just 3-of-22 from three-point range. Creighton, on the other hand, shot 50.8 percent from the field but was an abysmal 12-of-23 from the free-throw line.

The Husker loss evens the overall series at 25 games each.

What The Game Means For Both Teams

For Creighton, it was a sloppy performance. Their high-octane offense, which usually scores over 90 points a game, struggled in the first half. It wasn’t until late in the second half before that well-oiled machine started firing on all cylinders. However, the effort was more than enough to win.

For Nebraska, the game was another offensive struggle. It’s been a stretch of tough games for the Huskers and things won’t be getting any easier with a trip to Lawrence, Kans. looming. Tai Webster has shown his leadership as a senior, making big plays at times for the Big Red. Nebraska is a young team that was picked to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten, so growing pains are to be expected.

Up Next

The men’s Nebraska basketball team takes on No. 3 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec 10 at 2:15 p.m. CT.