Nebraska had the early edge, but BYU’s second-half push ended the Huskers’ chance at a road exhibition win Friday night.
The Huskers led by as many as seven points in the first half before the Cougars took control after the break and rolled to a 72-61 victory in front of a packed crowd. It was a different result from last year’s exhibition meeting, when NU escaped with a 90-89 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Senior guard Cale Jacobsen started in place of senior Belmont transfer Sam Orme, who was out again with a hamstring injury, and led Nebraska with 15 points while logging more than 30 minutes. Sophomore forward Braden Frager added eight points in just under 29 minutes.
Nebraska got useful production from several spots early. Eleven Huskers saw the floor, and seven of them scored before halftime.
Junior center Damon Wilkinson scored seven points off the bench and knocked down the first 3-pointer of his college career, while Frager matched him with seven first-half points. That helped Nebraska carry a 32-28 lead into the locker room.
BYU answered immediately out of halftime with an 8-0 run, and the game started tilting the Cougars’ way from there. Pryce Sandfort stopped the slide with a 3-pointer to tie it back up, and true freshman guard Jacob Lanier checked in as Nebraska tried to reclaim the lead.
Lanier finished with 11 points and three rebounds. Nebraska, though, lost the rebounding battle 39-35, gave up a 30-18 edge in the paint and allowed BYU to collect four more second-chance points.
Collin Chandler paced the Cougars with 19 points, and he was joined in double figures by Jaxon Koehler, Robert Wright III and Bruce Branch III. BYU had gone through significant turnover after losing AJ Dybansta and Richie Saunders from last year’s group, but the new pieces delivered Friday. Head coach Kevin Young added Chandler, a junior guard from Kentucky, and Koehler, a senior forward from Michigan State, while retaining Wright and bringing in Branch, a five-star recruit.
Nebraska’s bench tried to keep the Huskers within reach. NU scored 24 points from its reserves, while BYU managed only eight. But the Cougars poured in 44 second-half points and shot 48% for the night, while Nebraska finished at just 31%.
The late surge from BYU included a 6-0 run that stretched the margin and put the result out of reach. Nebraska never got back close enough to threaten after that.
The Huskers wrap up their three-game exhibition slate Monday, Oct. 26, against Kansas State in Grand Island, Nebraska. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will air on Big Ten Plus.
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