Record comeback lifts Nebraska to a 73-63 OT win over Wisconsin
Trailing Wisconsin by 17 points with just over 16 minutes left in regulation, it looked like Nebraska was well on its way to another disappointing defeat.
Instead, the Huskers used a 20-3 second-half run to send the game to overtime and pulled away for a 73-63 victory on Saturday afternoon.
After a dismal first half in which they trailed by 11 at the break, NU shot 48% from the field and was 7-of-13 on 3-pointers in the second half. It then outscored the Badgers 12-2 in OT to pull off another impressive victory at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Keisei Tominaga led the way with 22 points on 5-of-11 shooting on 3-pointers, with 17 of those points coming in the second half and OT. Chucky Hepburn scored 19 to lead UW, which shot just 36.2% for the game and was 1-of-8 from the field in overtime.
Nebraska’s 17-point comeback marked its largest ever at PBA and its biggest rally since overcoming a 19-point deficit at home to Iowa in February 2013.
The Huskers improve to 12-14 overall and 5-10 in Big Ten Conference play, while Wisconsin dropped to 14-10, 6-8.
An ugly start for the Huskers…
Derrick Walker got going early with six of Nebraska’s first 12 points, but the Huskers followed that up with a nearly four-minute scoring drought. That sparked Wisconsin to go on a 12-2 run and jump out to a 22-12 lead.
A deep 3-pointer by Tominaga highlighted a 9-0 response from NU that cut the deficit to 22-21 with 5:10 left in the half.
But Nebraska managed just three points the rest of the way. That helped Wisconsin close the half on a 13-3 run and take a 35-24 lead into the break.
The Huskers shot a decent 43.5% but went 1-of-8 on 3-pointers and committed eight turnovers. Walker scored eight of his 18 points in the first half, while Max Klesmit (10) and Hepburn (9) led UW, which was 6-of-12 from behind the arc.
Followed by a memorable comeback
Nebraska opened the second half with back-to-back turnovers, leading to five quick points that moved Wisconsin’s lead to 40-24. A 3-pointer by Hepburn gave UW its largest lead of the day at 43-26 with 17:31 left in regulation.
But two straight 3-pointers by Tominaga got the Huskers within 11. NU eventually turned that into a 20-2 run to take its first lead at 48-47 lead with 11:14 still to play.
Tominaga hit four of his seven triples during that stretch, while the Badgers scored just two points over six minutes.
A three by Jamarques Lawrence put Nebraska up 61-59 with 3:56 on the clock, but Hepburn tied it with a tough baseline jumper just over a minute later. That would be all the scoring until overtime, as Hepburn missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send it to extra time.
Nebraska dominates in OT
Tyler Wahl scored to give Wisconsin the lead a minute into overtime. But that would be the last time the Badgers got on the scoreboard the rest of the day.
Tominaga answered with a layup less than a minute later, and then Walker followed with six unanswered points. Two free throws by Lawrence with 53 seconds left put the finishing touches on the victory.
The Badgers shot just 1-of-8 from the field, missed all five of their 3-pointers, committed four fouls, and turned it over three times during the five-minute OT.
Sam Griesel finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists while going 8-of-11 on free throws. Lawrence also chipped in 11 points and two steals, while Blaise Keita added 11 rebounds and two steals in 23 critical minutes off the bench.
After committing eight turnovers to just one assist in the first half, Nebraska shot 48.3% with eight assists over the second half and overtime.
The Huskers will hit the road for an 8 p.m. CT tip at Rutgers on Tuesday night, which will be televised on Big Ten Network.
