Nebraska Basketball: Huskers cruise by Cal State Fullerton, 86-62

(Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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Nebraska Basketball had another great day on Saturday.

Nebraska Basketball looked to keep the good momentum going against the Cal State Fullerton Titans on Saturday as the program looked to get one final win before the holiday break. Sitting at a 9-2 mark, the Huskers looked to improve to 10-2 for the first time in eight years. In the meantime, the Titans looked to get their fourth win of the season as they have struggled to put wins together.

In the first half, it was clear that Nebraska Basketball would set the scoring tone early. James Palmer Jr. hit a pair of threes to begin the frame and that would be a theme throughout the course of the game. Nebraska did a nice job of spreading the ball around and moving without the basketball. This often left the Titans confused and unsure about their defensive sets. In addition, Nebraska did a nice job of spreading the scoring duties around. It seemed as if everybody had a hand in this one. Along with Palmer, Glynn Watson Jr. had six points of his own in the half as the senior duo led the way.

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To their credit, the Titans did a nice job of hanging around in this game, especially in the early parts of the half. It was not until Nebraska went on a 7-0 run in the later part of the half that the game began to get out of hand. In correlation with the scoring run, Nebraska also began to get the ball inside. That seem to be an area of weakness for the Titans as they could not seem to stop it. If Nebraska happened to miss, they would either get to the foul line or at the very least make the Titans work. As the buzzer sounded to end the first half, Nebraska held a 36-25 advantage.

The second half had a different feel to it, as Nebraska focused more so on protecting the lead then scoring. That was certainly the right move to take, and you could tell that they were making a concerted effort on the defensive end. They were contesting every single shot and playing tight defense, not allowing the Titans to have much space. This was the half that they were able to pull away, as they held a 50-37 scoring advantage. The second half really showcased how much depth the Cornhuskers may have, and also gave opportunities to players who may not otherwise get a chance in a closer game. The fact that the entire team played so well gave me optimism that this team can go far in March. Although this was by no means the toughest game on their schedule, an 86-62 win was certainly great to see.

Palmer Jr led the way for Nebraska in this one. He played well in both halves scoring 23 points. This marks the sixth time in the last seven games that Palmer has achieved that mark. Isaac Roby was the game’s second-leading scorer with 20 points. He got most of them at the free throw line, playing that “bruiser” role in this one. He went 9-of-16 at the line. Glynn Watson Jr. looked very comfortable with the basketball today. He looked comfortable shooting the basketball, and also looked comfortable handling it. He finished with 10 points on the afternoon.

Nebraska will have the holiday week off until next Saturday when they face the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs. The game will be played in the friendly confines of Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 1-00 p.m. Eastern Time.