Huskers fall short against Gaels, visit Creighton Bluejays next

Despite a game-high 28 points from Brice Williams, Nebraska suffered its first loss of the season, falling 77-74 to Saint Mary’s in front of a sellout crowd of 3,241 at the Sanford Pentagon Sunday afternoon.

Williams, whose 28 points was his highest total in his Nebraska career, hit 8-of-12 shots from the field and was a perfect 11-of-11 from the foul line, as Nebraska overcame a 14-point first-half deficit and had a chance to send the game in overtime.

Nebraska had rallied back from a 10-point deficit in the final 4:12 behind Williams, who had six points in a 11-2 spurt to pull within 75-74 with 6.6 seconds left.

The Gaels got the ball to Mikey Lewis, who was fouled with 5.4 seconds left. Lewis, a freshman, capped a 23-point afternoon by sinking both free throws to give SMC a three-point lead. On NU’s possession, the Huskers got the ball to Williams, but his closely guarded 3-pointer was off the mark, allowing the Geals to escape with the win.

Lewis led Saint Mary’s (4-0) with 23 points, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, while Paulis Murauskas added 16 points for the winners. The Gaels went 11-of-23 from 3-point range and turned 15 Nebraska turnovers into 21 points.

Williams led four Huskers in double figures, as Berke Büyüktuncel finished with a career-high 15 points while Rollie Worster and Andrew Morgan added 10 apiece.

Trailing 46-43 at the break, the Huskers scored the first five points of the half, taking their first lead of the game on a Williams’ 3-pointer with 19:16 remaining. Büyüktuncel, who had 13 of his 15 points after halftime, had two straight putbacks to extend the lead to 52-48 before hitting two free throws at the 15:05 mark to give NU its largest leads of the day at 54-49.

The Gaels, who won the West Coast Conference title last year, rallied as 3-pointers from Lewis and Augustas Marciulionis sparked a 9-0 run that gave Saint Mary’s a 58-54 lead. Nebraska fought back and tied it at 60 apiece on an Andew Morgan 3-pointer with just under 10 minutes remaining.

That would be as close as Nebraska got down the stretch, as Saint Mary’s used a 13-3 spurt to push the lead back to 10 following Lewis’ 3-pointer with 4:13 left.

In the first half, the Huskers overcame a slow start to pull within 46-43 at the break, as Williams had 17 of his 28 points in the opening 20 minutes.

Saint Mary’s opened the contest with an 8-0 spurt, including a pair of 3-pointers from Luke Barrett and hit eight of their first 12 shots from the floor to build a 23-9 advantage after a 3-point play from Paulius Marauskas with 13:28 left in the half before mounting a comeback.

The Huskers ran off seven straight points, capped by a Connor Essegian 3-pointer to cut the deficit to seven.

Barrett had 13 of his 15 points, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, in the opening half, as the Gaels went 7-of-13 from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes.

The Huskers continued to chip away, getting within 32-26 after a Brice Williams basket before Mikey Lweis hit consecutive 3-pointers to help push the lead back to double digits. Saint Mary’s stretched the lead to 45-33 before the Huskers roared back and closed the half on a 10-1 run over the final 2:32 including 3-pointers from Rollie Worster and Essegian to pull NU within three at the break.

The Huskers return to action on Friday, Nov. 22, as the NU travels to No. 14 Creighton. Tipoff from the CHI Health Center is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network and televised on FS1.