Courtesy of Husker Athletics
Lincoln – Rienk Mast had 19 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:50 left as No. 13 Nebraska held on for a 58-56 men’s basketball win over No. 9 Michigan State on Friday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Mast drained his only three of the second half breaking a 55-all deadlock. Nebraska, which trailed 55-52, held Michigan State to one point over the final 4:30 to come back and extend its win streak to 18 games dating back to last season.
The Huskers improved to 14-0 and 3-0 in the Big Ten, while the Spartans slipped to 12-2 and 2-1 in the conference.
Pryce Sandfort added 13 points and three three-pointers despite being strapped with foul trouble the entire game. Sandfort scored eight points in the second half but was called for his fifth foul on a Carson Cooper desperation drive with 0.7 seconds left.
Cooper, who finished with six points, missed the first free throw to send the sellout crowd of 14,841 fans into a frenzy. He missed the second free throw intentionally but was called for a violation, and Nebraska threw the ball into the frontcourt to kill the clock and claim the victory.
Jamarques Lawrence added 12 points for the Huskers, who stymied the Spartan offense from start to finish by forcing 19 turnovers and holding MSU to a season-low point total.
Nebraska, which led by nine after a 3-pointer from Braden Frager with 9:29 remaining, withstood a Spartan comeback behind Jeremy Fears Jr. The guard scored six straight points to pull MSU within 47-44 with 8:46 left. Frager, who had nine points, five rebounds and a career-high four steals, ended the run with another 3-pointer to give NU a 50-44 lead.
MSU then used an 11-2 burst to take a 55-52 lead on a Fears jumper with 4:41 left, but that would be final field goal of the night for the Spartans.
Sam Hoiberg’s two free throws made it a one-point game before a Mast free throw with 2:35 remaining knotted the score, setting up a dramatic finish.
Nebraska, which committed just eight miscues on the night, sank 13-of-37 threes in the victory, including five triples and 15 first-half points from Mast.
Nebraska hit just 18-of-57 shots (.351) in the game, while sinking 9-of-13 free throws. The Huskers held MSU to 17-of-50 shooting (.340) and 10-of-28 threes. The Spartans also hit 12-of-16 free throws and won the rebounding battle, 45-31.
Jaxon Kohler led MSU with 19 points, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range and 11 rebounds, while Fears added 14 points and seven assists, as the Spartans saw their four-game win streak come to an end.
Nebraska will be back in action at Ohio State on Monday. Tip-off with the Buckeyes is set for 5:30 p.m. (CT) with live television coverage by FS1. Live audio will be provided by the Huskers Radio Network on Huskers.com and the Huskers App.
