Nebraska Basketball: Huskers clobber SWM Mustangs by a 79-38 margin
Nebraska Basketball had no problems in their final tuneup before conference play.
In a game that was thought to be not much of a challenge for Nebraska Basketball in the first place, the Cornhuskers lived up to the billing, beating Southwest Minnesota State by a 79-38 score in the friendly confines of Pinnacle Bank Arena. With the win, they improve to 11-2 on the season.
Unlike several games which have been dominated by James Palmer Jr., this contest saw Nebraska get scoring from all players early. The first basket for the Cornhuskers came courtesy of a layup from Issac Copeland Jr. From there, the good guys took control of the game and never looked back. They controlled the pace of the game throughout the first frame, and Palmer found his way to the free-throw line as he worked on getting the ball inside and driving to the lane. Palmer combined with Glynn Watson for a deadly combo in the first half as they took control of the game early. It was nice to see other players have as much of an impact as Palmer. The last couple of weeks we have been used to seeing him completely take over, and a multi-player effort bodes well, especially as conference play approaches.
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Southwest Minnesota State tried to keep up in this one, but it was evident early that they couldn’t handle Nebraska. They were not efficient with the basketball and just looked outmanned. If there was one player on the Mustangs that did their best, it was senior Steven McNease. He was very efficient for the program, going 3-of-5 in field goals and a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. In addition, he collected four rebounds and two assists.
The second half was more of the same as Nebraska outscored the Mustangs by a 42-20 margin. One player that cannot go without mention is senior Taner Borchardt. Although he only scored four points, he was a Swiss Army knife for the Cornhuskers in this one. He recorded nine total rebounds, a steal, and only gave up two points on the afternoon. His work on the offensive glass was particularly impressive. He racked up five rebounds and did a nice job of getting second chances for the team. Nebraska seemed to be able to score at will in the second half, while the Mustangs had trouble keeping up. They tried valiantly, but they could just not seem to get anything going. Senior Ryan Bruggeman tried to accumulate points for Southwest Minnesota State, and he actually did a decent job, finishing the contest with eight.
However, Nebraska handled this one nicely and got contributions from everyone involved. Palmer and Watson both led the game in scoring with 16 points. Issac Copeland scored 12, while Thomas Allen had 10. Off the bench, sophomore guard Nana Akenten chipped in eight points. This was a game where Nebraska was efficient with the basketball and really focused on getting a win. Sometimes, these games can be trap games, and luckily Nebraska did not fall into this trap. They played solidly all around and certainly deserved this win.
Nebraska Basketball’s next game will take place on January 2 against Maryland as they open up conference play in what should be an exciting affair. Tip-off time 6:30 PM Eastern time and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.