Associated Press, February 10, 2018
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Isaiah Roby had 10 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots and Nebraska opened up 16-point leads in both halves and didn't let Rutgers get closer than 10 points in the last 14 minutes to take a 67-55 win Saturday.
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Nebraska (19-8, 10-4) won its seventh Big Ten conference game in its last eight tries. Rutgers (12-15, 2-11) has now lost seven consecutive conference games.
Nebraska used a 10-0 run capped by a pair of Isaac Copeland jumpers to take a 48-32 lead with 14:35 remaining. Then, as they had in the first half, the Scarlet Knights surged back with three straight baskets, cutting the Nebraska lead to 10 on Corey Sanders' basket with 12:15 remaining.
The Huskers responded with a 15-6 run to take a 63-44 lead on Isaiah Roby's coast-to-coast layup with 6:31 left. Rutgers scored the game's final six points against the Huskers reserves to cut the final margin to 12.
Nebraska's swarming man-to-man defense held Rutgers to just 35 percent shooting for the game. Nebraska hit 45 percent of its shots and outscored Rutgers by nine from the free-throw line.
James Palmer, Jr. led Nebraska in scoring with 15 points. Copeland and Glynn Watson, Jr. scored 11 points each for the Huskers.
Sanders finished with 14 points to lead Rutgers. Deshawn Freeman added 12 points and Eugene Omoruyi had 11 points.
THE BIG PICTURE
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights were unable to find their touch, shooting 35 percent for the game and 14 percent from 3-point range.
Nebraska: The Huskers' 19 wins match the program's highest win total in 10 years. Nebraska won 19 games in 2010-2011 and 2013-2014. The Huskers have at least five games remaining in the season. Nebraska also won for the 13th time at home this season. It's only home loss came against No. 10 Kansas in December.
WORTH NOTING
Nebraska wore black warm-up T-shirts emblazoned with "Hate Will Never Win," the team's message it is delivering to University of Nebraska-Lincoln community following the release of videos of a white nationalist student that have roiled campus. The Huskers also appeared in a video shown before the game that concluded with the statement that Nebraska is "a community that stands together like a team. We rise together against racism and hate because hate will never win."
UP NEXT
Rutgers returns home for its next contest, hosting Northwestern on Tuesday.
Nebraska stays at home to host Maryland on Tuesday.