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Nebraska buries North Florida early, eyes Big Ten opener

On3 imageby: Steven Sipple12/01/24steven_sipple
Fred Hoiberg Nebraska basketball
Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg calls out during the second half of the game against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska seemed deadly serious Sunday about fine-tuning for its Big Ten opener this week.

The Huskers certainly were deadly as shooters for much of the game, cruising to a 103-72 victory against North Florida at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska, now 6-1, was superb in rolling to a 53-32 halftime lead, as the Huskers were 20-for-34 from the field (59%) and 6-for-12 from three-point territory (50%). Connor Essegian led the team at halftime with 13 points and finished with a game-high 22 on 8-for-10 shooting from the field, including 6-for-8 from deep.

Meanwhile, North Florida (5-3) was just 12-for-32 from the field (38%) at half, including 5-for-22 from deep (23%), as it fell into a sizable hole.

The Ospreys pulled no closer than 15 points in the second half.

Nebraska broke the century mark on Sam Hoiberg’s contested layup with 2:04 left.

The 6-foot-4 Essegian, a transfer from Wisconsin, scored seven points as Nebraska jumped to a 13-4 lead with 15:54 left in the first half. The Huskers were crisp offensively, with assists on four of their first five field goals. They ended up with 22 assists versus just six turnovers.

Their lead grew to 18-4 on the strength of a 14-0 run, which ended on Mason Lee’s three-pointer with 14 minutes left before halftime.

Nate Lliteras, a native of Seward, Nebraska, scored 17 points for North Florida.

Nebraska eyes start of Big Ten play

Nebraska was coming off wins against then-No. 14 Creighton (74-63) and South Dakota (96-79).

North Florida, of the Atlantic Sun Conference, has victories this season against South Carolina (74-71) and Georgia Tech (105-93). The Ospreys entered Sunday leading the nation in three-point attempts and ranked second in three-point makes, but were just 14-for-43 on the day (32.6%).

Nebraska now prepares for its first Big Ten contest of the season, a showdown against Michigan State at 11 a.m. Saturday in East Lansing, Michigan.

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