LINCOLN, Neb. — Pryce Sandfort scored 29 points, Sam Hoiberg added 14 and No. 7 Nebraska shook off a slow start to beat Northwestern 68-49 Saturday.
The Cornhuskers (22-3, 11-3 Big Ten) overcame a season high-tying 18 turnovers and poor shooting in the first half to sweep the season series with the Wildcats (10-16, 2-13), who have lost five straight and 11 of 13.
Nebraska was celebrating alumni weekend with more than 75 players on hand and came into the game off losses in three of their last four.
This one was a slog until the middle of the second half. Reserve guard Cale Jacobsen scored eight of his 10 points and blocked a shot during a 14-4 spurt that turned the Huskers’ 39-38 deficit into a 52-43 lead. The Wildcats managed just three field goals over the final 13 minutes.
Sandfort, who shot 6 of 11 on 3-pointers, had 25-plus points and six 3s in a game for the fourth time.
Northwestern, which led second-ranked Michigan by 16 points at home before losing 87-75 on Wednesday, was up eight on the Huskers in the first half.
The Wildcats were looking for their highest-ranked win on the road in nine years and were down 28-27 at half before bogging down. They shot 35%, made 1 of 7 3s and turned over the ball eight times in the final 20 minutes.
Big Ten scoring leader Nick Martinelli, averaging 22.5 points per game, missed his first six shots before he muscled in his only basket of the first half and finished with a team-high 11.
Up next
- Northwestern: vs. Maryland on Wednesday.
- Nebraska: at Iowa on Tuesday.
