Williams's record night wasn't enough in Nebraska's 116-114 2OT loss at Ohio State
In what could essentially be an early NCAA Tournament play-in game, Nebraska’s trip to Ohio State on Tuesday night was a battle of desperation.
The Huskers fought for 50 minutes in a double-overtime bout, but the Buckeyes had an answer every time, handing NU a 116-114 defeat. The loss could be a defining blow for Nebraska’s chances at the Big Dance.
Brice Williams broke Eric Piatkowski’s 31-year-old single-game school scoring record with 43 points, but even that wasn’t enough.
Williams missed the second of two free throws at the end of regulation to help Nebraska (17-13 overall, 7-12 Big Ten) send the game to overtime. OSU’s Devin Royal then did the same with seven seconds left in the first OT to set up a second extra period.
The Buckeyes (17-13, 9-10) reclaimed the lead with two Micah Parrish free throws with 3:36 left in 2OT, and they’d stay in front the rest of the way. Nebraska pulled within one possession four times over the final 1:07 but couldn’t get over the hump.
Williams scored 43 on 16-of-29 shooting while Juwan Gary had 24 points and seven rebounds. The Huskers shot 53.2% over regulation and two overtimes, but OSU countered by shooting 52.9% and hitting 12 threes.
Bruce Thornton led OSU with 29 points, nine assists, and one turnover over his 48 minutes of work.
The Huskers recovered after another rough start
Nebraska quickly fell into a double-digit deficit before halftime for the fourth time in as many road games. Ohio State made seven of its first 11 shots to jump out to a 19-8 advantage.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Pop Isaacs
Creighton guard commits to Houston
- 2
Final AP Poll
Basketball Top 25 released
- 3Hot
Way-Too-Early Top 25
Looking ahead to 2025-26 hoops
- 4
Nick Saban
Nominated for Emmy
- 5Trending
Hailey Van Lith
Stuns as SI Swimsuit cover model
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
A five-point possession on consecutive buckets and fouls by Andrew Morgan and Connor Essegian helped stop the bleeding. The Huskers followed that up with a 10-2 run to pull within 27-25.
A layup by Williams made it 42-39 in the final seconds of the half, but John Mobley drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it a six-point Buckeye lead at the break.
Williams and Gary had 12 points apiece on a combined 11-of-16 shooting, accounting for 24 of NU’s first 39 points. Nebraska shot 57.1% from the field in the first half, but six 3-pointers (three by Mobley) helped OSU lead for the first 20 minutes.
Mobley scored 11 of his 20 points at halftime, while Thornton had 11 of his 29 points, five of his nine assists, and zero turnovers.
Trailing by six at intermission, Nebraska opened the second half on an 11-4 run and took its first lead of the night on a Williams three with 17:09 remaining.
Ohio State reclaimed the lead two minutes later and held it until an And-1 by Morgan tied it at 88-88 with 46 seconds remaining in regulation. Mobley split two free throws on the next possession, and then Williams did the same with eight seconds on the clock.
That miss was the only one of the night for Williams, a 90.1% free-throw shooter. He went 6-of-7 at the line on Tuesday night.
