Nebraska basketball takes care of business against Florida A&M

The Nebrasketball season is only a couple of games old, but they are definitely ready to go. Keisei Tominaga was not in the lineup again tonight, but the Cornhuskers believe he will be ready to go shortly. Juwan Gary was not available due to violation of team rules. Tonight’s opponents Florida A&M came into the game getting absolutely destroyed by Creighton on Tuesday, and tonight was no different. Nebraska did a great job of controlling the pace, as the Rattlers are one of the slower-paced teams in the entire country.

1st half summary:

Nebraska came out hot from the 3-point line, which helped them get out to a relatively big lead early. The ball movement was fantastic, as Nebraska had 11 assists on the 14 made field goals in the half. Florida A&M shot a meager 29% from the floor, including just 2 of 9 from the 3-point line. Nebraska shot 42% from the floor, and 43% from the 3-point line. Nebraska wasn’t as dominant on the glass, only outrebounding the Rattlers 25-19, however 8 of the 25 rebounds were offensive. Florida A&M finished the half with 10 turnovers, the Cornhuskers with 8.

Florida A&M was led by Hantz Louis-Jeune in the first half, as he had 6 points and 4 rebounds, which led both categories. Nebraska was powered by Rienk Mast, who had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Eli Rice contributed 11 points off the bench for Nebraska, as the depth at the guard position is something that will be greatly beneficial as the season progresses. Nebraska finished the half leading 41-25.

2nd half summary:

Nebraska didn’t play as well in the 2nd half, going on multiple scoring droughts of 3 minutes or more. Nebraska also committed 10 turnovers in the second half. Luckily, Florida A&M didn’t do much to chip into the Nebraska lead. Nebraska did a fantastic job extending the lead from the free throw line, as it finished 25-36 overall. In a light-hearted moment, Sam Hoiberg pulls a Zion Williamson and blew a shoe in half. In celebration of such, Sam decides to toss both pieces into the student section.

Fred Hoiberg won’t be impressed with the overall play, particularly in the 2nd half. Nebraska didn’t shoot well and turned the ball over, which will eventually haunt the Huskers against much stronger opponents. Rienk Mast paced the Huskers with 20 points and 16 rebounds, and even drew a comparison from the radio guys to Husker great Aleks Maric. Only three Huskers finished in double figures, but Eli Rice’s 16 coming off the bench will be a bright spot.

Nebraska finished the evening shooting 41.1% from the floor, and 35.7% from the 3-point line. The Huskers went 25-36 from the free throw line but missed the last 5 in what was definitely garbage time. Nebraska actually extended its lead in the second half from the stripe, which will be a plus for Coach Hoiberg. Nebraska outrebounded Florida A%M 55-35, and 16-11 in offensive rebounds.

Florida A%M shot 30.3% from the floor and 20.0% from the 3-point line. The Rattlers went 10-17 from the free throw line. They were paced by K’Jei Parker, who finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Morrell Schramm was the only other Rattler in double figures.

Nebraska will take on Rider at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Monday November 13th at 7 pm CST. That game will be televised on BTN.