(Photo: Nebraska Athletics)
A strong first half helped Nebraska basketball run out to a comfortable 66-49 win over Murray State in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday evening.
Nebraska held Murray State to just 14 first-half points, setting a record for fewest points allowed in a half in the Diamond Head Classic, led by as many as 23 points early in the second half in the win.
Guard Connor Essegian led Nebraska with 15 points, and Andrew Morgan added 12 points and 12 rebounds as the Huskers improved to 8-2 on the season.
“I thought we got off to a really good start,” Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg said on the Huskers Radio Network. “After a long layoff and with guys coming off finals, you always worry a little about that. We arrived a day later than every team here and had to bounce back and come out with great effort and I think we did that.”
Holding a significant size advantage, Nebraska turned up the defensive intensity on Murray State in the first half.
Murray State shot just 14 percent from the field in the first half, and went 3-for-9 from the free throw line as Nebraska shut down a Racer offense that came in shooting nearly 40 percent from the 3-point line.
Nebraska held a 10-rebound advantage in the first half and out-scored Murray State 20-2 in the paint before the break. Nebraska led 6-4 five minutes into the game before the Huskers went on a 16-0 run over a six-minute stretch of the first half to gain a commanding 22-4 lead at the mid-point of the first half. The run was the longest of the season for the Huskers.
Murray State cut into Nebraska’s lead midway through the first half, but a pair of 3-pointers from Essegian, and two buckets late from Morgan helped Nebraska head into the locker room leading by 20.
The Huskers commanded the first half, but were somewhat sloppy on offense. Nebraska committed 10 turnovers in the first half, but Murray State was only able to get one point off those Nebraska mistakes.
Nebraska stretched its lead to 23 points early in the second half, and never allowed Murray State to truly get momentum in the second stanza. Point guard Rollie Worster scored nine points in the second half and Morgan finished off his first double-double as a Husker.
Hoiberg praised Morgan for his work in the paint, as Nebraska finished with a 40-26 advantage on the glass and out-scored Murray State 32-18 in the paint.
“He was outstanding,” Hoiberg said of Morgan. “I loved his effort on the glass. He was all over the place swelling rebounds out there. When we needed a basket, he was the guy we went to. We felt we would have an advantage on the block with our size. That opened up some things on the outside.”
Nebraska never trailed in the game and did so without Ahron Ulis, who was unavailable because of a sprained ankle sustained Saturday in practice after arriving in Hawaii. Berke Büyüktuncel also left the game late with an apparent ankle injury suffered in the second half.
Hoiberg said he was pleased with the way his team opened its stay in Hawaii considering the length of time since the Huskers’ last game. Nebraska will play the winner of Hawaii and Charlotte on Monday at 9:30 p.m.
“Overall, our effort was really good, considering the last eight or nine days we had off,” Hoiberg said.
