OMAHA, Neb. — In a thrilling matchup, Brice Williams and Juwan Gary each contributed 16 points, helping Nebraska secure a 74-63 victory over No. 14 Creighton on Friday night.
The Cornhuskers (4-1) managed to keep their lead throughout the game, successfully limiting preseason All-American Ryan Kalkbrenner to just four points, all from the free-throw line, marking their second win on Creighton’s home floor within the last three seasons.
Pop Isaacs, a transfer from Texas Tech, led the Bluejays (4-1) with an impressive 25 points, while Kalkbrenner grabbed 11 rebounds to aid his team.
Connor Essegian, who transferred from Wisconsin, was another key player for Nebraska, scoring 15 points, with Berke Buyuktuncel contributing 12 points and Rollie Worster adding 11 points as well.
Defensively, Nebraska excelled, holding Creighton to a shooting percentage of 32.7% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. They built a significant lead in the first half, leading 31-13 at one point.
In the second half, Creighton attempted to rally, narrowing the gap to 42-35. However, Nebraska quickly countered with an 8-1 scoring run, maintaining a comfortable lead for the remainder of the game.
Key takeaways from the game highlighted Nebraska’s defensive prowess, which forced a total of 17 turnovers from Creighton while committing just 10 turnovers themselves.
Creighton struggled with their typically reliable 3-point shooting, failing to find their rhythm early on.
A pivotal moment occurred when Creighton closed the deficit to eight points on two separate occasions in the latter part of the half. Each time, Nebraska responded with crucial defensive plays that sparked small scoring runs, thwarting any serious threats.
An interesting stat from the game was Kalkbrenner’s performance. Despite entering the matchup averaging 25.8 points per game, he only managed to attempt a single field goal in the first half, which ended up as a missed 3-pointer.
Looking ahead, Nebraska is set to host South Dakota on Wednesday, while Creighton will head to Las Vegas to participate in the Players Era Festival, starting their campaign against San Diego State on Tuesday.
