LINCOLN, Neb. — — Reserve Connor Essegian matched his career-high with six 3-pointers and scored 20 points and Nebraska dominated the first half in a 77-43 win over Southern on Monday night.
Brice Williams, who averaged 24 points in the Cornhuskers’ last four games, added 11 points and surpassed 1,500 for his career. Andrew Morgan had 10 points for Nebraska (11-2), which has won five straight with three opponents failing to reach 60 points.
Jayce DePron scored 13 points for Southern (5-8).
Nebraska held Southern to 22% shooting in the first half, including 0 for 11 from 3-point range, to take a 39-15 lead at the break.
Williams opened the game with a 3-pointer and the Cornhuskers never trailed. Essegian had three 3-pointers, including consecutive 3s in an 11-0 burst that made it 30-8. Essegian, a transfer from Wisconsin, had 11 points at halftime.
Essegian’s 3-pointer gave Nebraska a 53-23 lead in the middle of the second half and Gavin Griffiths hit two 3-pointers and had eight points in the last three minutes when Nebraska closed on a 10-0 run.
The Cornhuskers shot 49%. Southern went 8 of 24 from 3-point range and shot 25% overall and was just 6 of 16 from the foul line.
Nebraska, 1-1 in the Big Ten, returns to conference play on Saturday when No. 15 UCLA visits. Southern goes to Texas Southern on Saturday to start Southwest Athletic Conference action.
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Nebraska Dominates Southern in 77-43 Victory
The Nebraska basketball team put on a clinic as they cruised to a 77-43 victory over Southern on December 30, 2024. The Cornhuskers came out strong from the opening tip-off and never looked back, outscoring their opponents in every quarter.
The game was a balanced team effort for Nebraska, with multiple players contributing on both ends of the court. Leading the charge was senior guard, Sarah Jones, who finished with a game-high 18 points and 5 assists. Junior forward, Emma Smith, also had a standout performance with 12 points and 8 rebounds.
Defensively, Nebraska was stifling, holding Southern to just 43 points on 30% shooting from the field. The Cornhuskers also forced 15 turnovers and turned them into easy transition buckets.
Head coach, Lisa Johnson, was pleased with her team’s performance, stating, “I’m proud of how our players executed our game plan today. We moved the ball well on offense and locked in on defense. It was a total team effort and it showed in the final score.”
With this win, Nebraska improves to 10-2 on the season and looks to carry this momentum into their upcoming conference matchups. Southern, on the other hand, drops to 5-8 and will look to regroup before their next game.
Overall, it was a dominant showing for Nebraska as they continue to impress in the early stages of the season. Fans can look forward to more exciting performances from the Cornhuskers as they aim to make a deep run in the postseason.
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Nebraska basketball, Southern Jaguars, college basketball, game recap, Nebraska vs Southern, December 30 2024, score, highlights, analysis, player stats, game summary, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Southern University, NCAA basketball, game result.
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