The No. 22 Nebraska men’s basketball team (11-0, 2-0) faces its biggest test of the season on Saturday afternoon when it takes on the No. 13 Illinois men’s basketball team. Despite the tough conditions, the Huskers prevailed, defeating the Fighting Illini 83-80.
Jamak Lawrence hit the game-winning shot, his second 3-pointer of the game, to give Nebraska a historic victory. The Huskers set two long-standing program records with the win: best start to the season (11-0) and longest winning streak (15).
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Nebraska won a tight battle, with both teams shooting around 50% and combining for 22 three-pointers. However, the Huskers held the lead almost the entire game, even though the Fighting Illini were always on their heels.
But Nebraska outshot Illinois, going 32-of-62 from the field compared to 28-of-58 for Illinois. The Huskers also took two more shots from beyond the arc than Illinois (12-10). The Fighting Illini had twice as many free throws as Nebraska (14-7) and tied the game near the end of each half. Although the Huskers missed a shot at the end of the first quarter, they made one at the end of the game.
Lawrence scored 14 points for Nebraska, shooting 5 of 8 from the field, 2 of 4 from beyond the arc and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. He also tied with Sam Hoiberg for the team lead in assists with six assists. Pryce Sandfort was the Husker’s leading scorer with a career-high 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting, 6-of-11 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
Rienke Master contributed 17 points for Nebraska, shooting 7-for-15 and 3-for-6 from the field and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Tulsa transfer Jared Garcia scored a season-high 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
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Nebraska will return home for its next three games, starting on Sunday, Dec. 21 against North Dakota State. The Big Ten Network has the game scheduled for 7 p.m.
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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: No. 22 Nebraska beats No. 13 Illinois 83-80 with buzzer-beater
