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Nebraska defeats West Georgia 86-53 in regular season opener

by: Sam Ojeda16 hours agoSamOjeda8
Sandfort 3-pointer
Pryce Sandfort shoots a 3-pointer during Nebraska's 91-50 win over Midland. (Photo: Nebraska Basketball)

The ethos in year seven of Fred Hoiberg is the 3-ball. Nebraska saw two different teams out on the court in each half from deep.

Nebraska shot 3-for-14 from beyond the arc in the first half but recovered with 7-for-18 in the second. The Huskers used that scrappy second-half to defeat West Georgia 86-53 and open the 2025-26 campaign.

Nebraska started sluggishly on offense. At the under-16 timeout, both teams lacked offensive flow. Fifth-year senior Sam Hoiberg delivered Nebraska’s first official points of the season, but the team then missed 10 of its next 11 shots. This drought allowed the Wolves to grab an early 11-7 lead at the next media timeout.

Fred Hoiberg immediately turned to his bench unit seeking a spark. 3-point specialist Braden Frager and Connor Essegian entered the game and helped Nebraska start hitting shots. Frager made his first attempt, and Essegian added six points before the under-eight timeout. The Lincoln Southwest product provided the same boost off the bench for NU that he showed in both preseason games. He sank his second 3-pointer of the half and two free throws to tie the game at 21 with four minutes left in the first-half.

The Huskers took their first lead on two Pryce Sandfort free throws with three minutes remaining. Despite shooting 31 percent from the field in the half, Nebraska limped into the locker room with a 30-25 lead, powered by 10 first-half points from Frager.

Nebraska’s defense was tough all game. “Newcomer” Jamarques Lawrence played a pivotal role on both sides of the ball but his effort didn’t show on the stat sheet. The transfer from Rhode Island played his first two seasons at Nebraska before returning ahead of this season. The senior caused chaos in the backcourt with multiple steals and tipped passes.

Lawrence also contributed on offense with multiple 3-pointers to begin the second half and gave the Huskers a 48-27 lead with 16 minutes to go. From the four-minute mark in the first-half to the under-16 timeout in the second, Nebraska went on a 35-6 run, including an 18-2 run to start the half. They redeemed themself from the first-half drought from deep with a 5-for-10 start in the second half.

The Huskers’ offense continued to roll with more players assisting in the action. NU held a 64-35 lead at the under-eight timeout. Lawrence extended his then game-high total to 16 points and he would finish with 18 points. Cale Jacobsen impacted his team’s offensive explosion second-half with five points on back-to-back possessions. Rienk Mast had a silent double-double. The senior made two free throws with seven minutes left to enter double figures after reaching the 10-rebound mark earlier in the game. Mast struggled from the floor, missing all the 3-pointers he attempted.

For the Wolves, the Huskers limited them to a sub-20 percent performance from range. Shelton Williams-Dryden was their leading scorer with 14 points. The Wolves committed 12 turnovers with Jacobsen, Frager, and Hoiberg all grabbing two steals.

The Huskers began to empty their bench with five minutes to play in the game. Frager finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Notably, Sandfort went 0-for-5 from the field with all of his attempts coming from distance.

Next up, Nebraska will host another mid-major opponent in Florida International on Nov. 8. The Huskers and Panthers are set for a Saturday matinee matchup with the tip slotted for noon.

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