Huskers Lose On The Road 67 - 79 To Michigan State

Defeat comes in many forms for the Huskers. For the Huskers tonight it came with a strong first half and a stunted second in a 79 to 67 loss to the #10 Michigan State Spartans.

There was some hope going into this game which was on the road in one of the more challenging venues in the Big Ten. Very few teams can go into the Breslin Center and take home a win. The hill for Fred Hoiberg and his team was high going into the night. They battled valiantly, but it was not enough to pull of the much needed win for the Huskers.

Then again, nothing has come easy for the Huskers this season. Or, any season under Fred’s tenure in Lincoln. For whatever reason this is still a work in progress for Nebrasketball. There are glimmers of hope and some improvement but they still have a ways to go to compete at a high level in the Big Ten.

The Huskers lead by as much as five points in the first half before a scoring drought and what one would expect from a top ten team pushing the Spartans to a win in East Lansing. The dominance and talent from players such as Max Christie and Gabe Brown who lead the Michigan State to the win.

Turnovers were key to the Huskers success early on. The Huskers matched their season high of 12 steals tonight. But no, it was not enough to avenge the fire the Spartans rained down on Nebraska as the night grew long. As the second half drew itself out the belief that the Huskers could pull off this win waned. There would be no victory heading back to Lincoln.

The Huskers were lead by Derek Walker with 16 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds. This tied his high which he had against Tennessee State back in November. He was followed by freshman Bryce Mcgowens with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. As a whole, the Huskers shot 37.3% on the night.

The bench gave the Huskers some reprieve from Kobe Webster who had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and two assists. This along with C.J. Wilcher’s 10 points helped keep the Husker in the game as time went on.

This is Nebraska 20th straight loss to a ranked team and their 11th straight loss to a power conference opponent. Hopefully they can turn this luck around sooner or later before the seasons hopes fully go out the window.

The Huskers next head to New Jersey to take on Rutgers who is 8-5 this season this Saturday at 1:00pm CST.

Coach Hoiberg’s Post-Game Remarks