Nebraska buries North Florida early, eyes Big Ten opener
Nebraska seemed deadly serious Sunday about fine-tuning for its Big Ten opener this week.
The Huskers certainly were deadly as shooters for much of the game, cruising to a 103-72 victory against North Florida at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska, now 6-1, was superb in rolling to a 53-32 halftime lead, as the Huskers were 20-for-34 from the field (59%) and 6-for-12 from three-point territory (50%). Connor Essegian led the team at halftime with 13 points and finished with a game-high 22 on 8-for-10 shooting from the field, including 6-for-8 from deep.
Meanwhile, North Florida (5-3) was just 12-for-32 from the field (38%) at half, including 5-for-22 from deep (23%), as it fell into a sizable hole.
The Ospreys pulled no closer than 15 points in the second half.
Nebraska broke the century mark on Sam Hoiberg’s contested layup with 2:04 left.
The 6-foot-4 Essegian, a transfer from Wisconsin, scored seven points as Nebraska jumped to a 13-4 lead with 15:54 left in the first half. The Huskers were crisp offensively, with assists on four of their first five field goals. They ended up with 22 assists versus just six turnovers.
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Their lead grew to 18-4 on the strength of a 14-0 run, which ended on Mason Lee’s three-pointer with 14 minutes left before halftime.
Nate Lliteras, a native of Seward, Nebraska, scored 17 points for North Florida.
Nebraska eyes start of Big Ten play
Nebraska was coming off wins against then-No. 14 Creighton (74-63) and South Dakota (96-79).
North Florida, of the Atlantic Sun Conference, has victories this season against South Carolina (74-71) and Georgia Tech (105-93). The Ospreys entered Sunday leading the nation in three-point attempts and ranked second in three-point makes, but were just 14-for-43 on the day (32.6%).
Nebraska now prepares for its first Big Ten contest of the season, a showdown against Michigan State at 11 a.m. Saturday in East Lansing, Michigan.
