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Hoiberg, Sandfort lift Nebraska to 69-50 win over Maryland Eastern Shore

Joseph Maierby: Joseph Maier9 hours agoJosephMaier29
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Nebraska improved to 3-0 with a 69-50 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday. The Huskers overcame a sloppy start and a horrendous 3-point shooting night, pulling away in the second half.

Sam Hoiberg led the way with a career-high 18 points and seven rebounds. Forward Pryce Sandfort added a team-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting with three made 3-pointers. Forward Leo Curtis was a spark plug with six points and two rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench.

The rest of Nebraska’s lineup had a quiet night. The Huskers shot 39% from the field and struggled from deep, with a 6-of-32 clip from behind the arc.

Here is an instant recap of the victory:

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort (21) reacts after a three point basket against the Florida International Panthers during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Ugly start

Sloppy is an understatement as both teams combined for a 1-of-8 start from the field and five early turnovers. Sandfort got the scoring started with a 3-pointer before forward Rienk Mast connected on another from deep to put the Huskers up 6-2 at the under-16 timeout.

Hoiberg was dominant on the boards early, hauling in six of Nebraska’s first nine rebounds. The Huskers began 4-of-14 from the field but a four-minute UMES scoring drought kept a buffer alive. The Hawks narrowed the deficit to 11-7 shortly after with a 5-0 run. Sandfort, forward Braden Frager and guard Connor Essegian all missed two 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes.

As shots failed to fall, Berke Buyuktuncel found some rhythm down low. He scored seven consecutive points for the Huskers thanks to a pair of trips to the line. Nebraska led 18-8 at the under-eight timeout despite shooting just 2-of-13 from deep.

An ugly five-minute Husker scoring drought ensued. UMES capitalized, as a 3-pointer from Joseph Locandro sparked a 7-0 Hawk run to inch within three points, 18-15. Sam Hoiberg finally ended the skid with Nebraska’s third 3-pointer of the night on its 16th attempt.

The Huskers found some life before the break. Four more points from Hoiberg and a 5-0 personal run from Sandfort put Nebraska up 32-19 at halftime.

Nebraska shot 10-of-28 from the field and 4-of-17 from deep in the first 20 minutes. They racked up six turnovers, not to be outdone by UMES, which coughed it up 10 times.

Hoiberg carried the load with nine points and seven rebounds. Sandfort added eight points thanks to two 3-pointers.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) looks to pass against the West Georgia Wolves during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Hoiberg, Sandfort help Huskers pull away

Nebraska opened the second half with a 10-2 run. All of those points came in the paint, including four from Sandfort and four from Hoiberg.

Hoiberg kept the hot hand, cashing in a steal for a layup at the other end. Sandfort knocked down his third 3-pointer of the evening shortly after, and Hoiberg ballooned the lead to 51-24 with another from deep.

Forward Leo Curtis checked in off the bench and immediately scored six straight points for Nebraska. The Huskers got to the paint consistently, scoring 24 of their 37 second-half points down low.

After a 3-minute scoring drought for both teams, UMES began to claw its way back with a 12-4 run. Sandfort was the only Husker to score for over five minutes before guard Jared Garcia got on the board to extend the Huskers’ lead to 24 points with six minutes to go.

The Hawks refused to go away quietly, however, knocking down three 3-pointers over a three-minute stretch to narrow the deficit to 63-44. The Huskers went nearly five minutes without a made jump shot, as a lackluster finish allowed the Hawks to pull within 19.

Nebraska finished off a 69-50 win to improve to 3-0 on the year.

The Huskers scored just 12 points off of 16 UMES turnovers. They outscored the Hawks 36-to-16 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 40-to-37.

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