Husker Men Roll Southern 77-43

Photo Credit: Nebraska Athletics

Connor Essegian had a game-high 20 points to lead three Huskers in double figures, while Nebraska put together a dominant defensive effort in a 77-43 win over Southern Monday evening.  

Essegian matched his career high with six 3-pointers en route to his third 20-point night of the season and grabbed seven boards, as Nebraska improved to 11-2 on the season with its fifth straight win. 

Brice Williams had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Andrew Morgan had 10 points off the bench, as Nebraska extended its home win streak to 19 games. Six Huskers had at least eight points, as Nebraska had 22 assists on its 26 field goals, including six assists by Rollie Worster and a career-high by Sam Hoiberg.  The Huskers also matched a season high with 13 3-pointers. 

Nebraska’s defense was the story, as the Huskers held Southern to just 25.4 percent shooting, including 3-of-24 from 3-point range. It was the lowest percentage allowed by Nebraska since Nov. 6, 2018. Nebraska held eight of its 12 opponents to under 40 percent shooting. 

Nebraska got out quickly, racing out to a 12-2 lead in the first 5:09 to force Southern to take an early timeout. Williams keyed the run with seven early points before a jumper from Berke Büyüktuncel and a 3-pointer from Juwan Gary gave NU an early 10-point cushion.  

The Huskers, who held Southern to 5-of-27 shooting in the first half, used a 11-0 run keyed by a pair of Connor Essegian 3-pointers to build a 22-point lead at 30-8 with 5:07 remaining in the half. NU eventually pushed the lead to 26 on a Büyüktuncel triple as Nebraska hit 5-of-11 from the arc in the opening 20 minutes.

Nebraska eventually stretched the lead to 30 at 53-23 after an 8-0 with 12:59 left. Southern eventually made a run, cutting a 31-poont deficit to 62-40 after a 9-0 spurt capped by a 3-pointer from Jayce Depron with just under six minutes remaining. The Jaguars (5-8) would get no closer as Worster’s layup stated a game-closing 12-2 spurt, including eight points from Gavin Griffiths, for the final margin. 

Depron finished with 13 points and was the only Southern player in double figures. 

The Huskers are in action on Saturday afternoon, as the Huskers host No. 15 UCLA. Tipoff is set 1 p.m. (CT) and the game will be broadcast on FOX and can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network. Tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets.