At the Buzzer: Nebraska 83, Indiana 77

Tayton Conerway drives against Nebraska.

Quick thoughts on an 83-77 loss to Nebraska:

How it happened

It was a slow start for Indiana at a noon tip inside Assembly Hall. Nebraska, ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press and 15-0, was sharp offensively early. The Huskers led 14-7 on a Rienk Mast layup at the 13:46 mark. The Hoosiers, meanwhile, were struggling to get anything going offensively. But Lamar Wilkerson, as he’s made a habit of this season, got things going late in the half. Wilkerson scored 10 of his 15 first-half points over the final 9:55. Nick Dorn provided some help, too, splashing in a pair of 3-pointers off the bench. IU’s defense tightened up, too, holding the Huskers to one field goal and just two points over the final five minutes of the half. It was enough to give IU a 39-30 lead at the break.

Wilkerson continued his hot shooting early in the second half as his 4-point play gave the Hoosiers a 49-33 lead with 17:42 to play. But the Huskers went on an 18-6 run to cut the lead to four at 55-51 with 12:25 to play, forcing Darian DeVries to take a timeout. Wisconsin tied the game at 55 on a Pryce Sandfort layup and the contest was tied at 57 at the under-12 media timeout. The Hoosiers grabbed a 65-59 lead after six straight points from Wilkerson but the Huskers answered with back-to-back 3s from Pryce Sandfort and Jamarques Lawrence to tie the game at 65 at the under-eight media timeout.

Nebraska’s run stretched to 13-1 as the Huskers opened a 72-66 lead on a pair of Cale Jacobsen free throws with 4:32 left. By the final media timeout, the Huskers led 75-68 and they stretched the lead to 77-68 on a pair of free throws from Braden Frager. The Hoosiers got no closer than four the rest of the way as Nebraska improved to 16-0 and IU fell for the first time at home this season.

Standout performers

Wilkerson led the Hoosiers with 32 points on 9-for-20 shooting from the floor and a 9-for-9 mark from the free throw line. Tucker DeVries added 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Statistics that stand out

Nebraska scored 53 points in the second half on 17-for-30 shooting from the floor. The Huskers were 8-for-16 on 3s, 11-for-14 from the free throw line and scored 1.56 points per possession.