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The orange sphere was busy in Pinnacle Bank Arena this weekend as both the Men’s and Women’s teams took the court. For the men, it was a successful return after nearly two weeks and four games away from the comfort of home. This game was especially notable because it featured the first match-up of protege Craig Smith vs. mentor Tim Miles. The elder Miles’ team stormed out of the gates to a 26-4 lead before having to hold off a late rally from Smith’s South Dakota Coyotes. The Huskers held on for a 73-61 win. They next take on in-state rival Creighton Wednesday night.
The women, on the other hand, had a rougher go of it. The struggling squad continued to find success fleeting as the Huskers were mauled by a game California Golden Bears squad that had their way with the young Huskers, still trying to find their way under new coach Amy Williams. The Bears dealt the Huskers a resounding 86-64 defeat. The loss ends a string of four consecutive power five opponents and hopefully allows them some room to breath on some mid-major competition and iron out some of the kinks before the behemoth UCONN comes to town on December 21st. The Huskers have a quick turnaround. They host Drake on Tuesday and San Jose St. on Friday.