No. 13 Nebraska beats No. 9 Michigan State 58-56
LINCOLN, Neb. — Rienk Mast made the tiebreaker 3-pointer with 1:51 left and finished with 19 points to lead No. 13 Nebraska to a 58-56 victory over No. 9 Michigan State on Friday night.
Fans rushed the court at the final buzzer as the Cornhuskers (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten) won their 18th straight game dating back to last season, the longest streak in the country.
It was the lowest-scoring game of the season for both teams in what was the first ranked versus ranked matchup in Lincoln since 1991. The game was billed as a measuring stick for Nebraska, the only team in the power conference to never win an NCAA tournament game. The Huskers met the moment.
What started as a chore quickly turned into a battle of big 3-point shots. The 6-foot-10 Mast made five of his first seven from distance and finished 6 of 13. Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler, 6-10, made a career-high five of six attempts and finished with 19 points.
Pryce Sandfort had 13 points and Jamarques Lawrence added 12 for the Huskers. Jeremy Fears Jr. had 14 for the Spartans and Kur Teng, who started in place of Divine Ugochukwu (illness), added 12.
Michigan State was just 6 of 24 from the field in the second half, and its 19 turnovers were its most since committing the same number against Nebraska four years ago.
Mast’s final 3 goals were his only basket of the second half and gave the Huskers the lead for good.
The Spartans had a chance to tie it when Carson Cooper was fouled with 0.7 seconds left. But his first free throw attempt bounced off the rim, and the Huskers got the rebound when he intentionally missed the second.
The Huskers are one of six undefeated teams in Division I.
To be continued
- Michigan State: Hosts No. 24 USC on Monday.
- Nebraska: Visits Ohio State on Monday.
