Nebraska sputters out in 80-68 road loss at Northwestern
After its best Big Ten road performance of the season in an overtime loss at Illinois, Nebraska had another prime road opportunity at Northwestern on Wednesday night.
But on the heels of back-to-back OT contests, the Huskers looked two steps slow all game in an 80-68 blowout defeat. They never led and trailed by as many as 21, falling to 0-7 in conference road games.
All-American Boo Buie had his way with NU, posting a game-high 22 points and four assists. He led the way for an offensive clinic by the Wildcats. They shot 11 of 25 3-pointers (44.0%), assisted on 17 of 25 made baskets, and averaged 1.176 points per possession.
Meanwhile, Nebraska (16-8, 6-7 Big Ten) finished 6-of-19 from behind the arc. It also committed 17 turnovers for 26 Northwestern points and got out-rebounded 13-3 on the offensive boards.
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Northwestern took the game over early
The Wildcats (16-7, 7-5) jumped out to an 8-2 lead to open the night. They quickly pushed the deficit to 15 with a 12-2 run. Five straight points from Juwan Gary got it within 10, but NU made two more field goals over the final 7:21 before halftime.
As a result, Northwestern took a commanding 47-31 lead into halftime. Buie scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting (4-for-5 on threes), while Gary had 13 of his team-high 15 points.
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Too little, too late in the second half
The game got a little better for Nebraska in the second half, but not before it got much worse. A 3-pointer by Brice Williams got the deficit down to 54-43 with 13 minutes to play. But the Wildcats answered with a 10-0 run and led by as many as 21.
The Huskers made one last push with an 11-4 rally to pull within single digits at 75-66 with 1:11 remaining. That marked the closest NU had gotten since 9:55 in the first half. That was as close as the game got, though.
Williams had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, while Jamarques Lawrence scored 12 off the bench. Ryan Langborg posted 18 points, seven rebounds, and six assists for Northwestern, while Nick Martinelli added 15 points.
The Huskers return to action on Saturday with a home game against Michigan at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
