Field Level Media
Nov 14, 2018
James Palmer scored 29 points and Isaac Copeland scored 18 and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Nebraska to an 80-57 win over Seton Hall at Lincoln, Neb., in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, which pits the Big Ten against the Big East.
Glynn Watson Jr. added 14 points and eight assists as the Cornhuskers (3-0) passed their first true test of the season after winning their first two games by a combined 121 points.
The Pirates (1-1) were led by Myles Powell, who scored 24 points. Michael Nzei added 13 and nine boards, and Sando Mamukelashvili added eight points and game-high 12 rebounds for Seton Hall.
Watson connected on a 3-pointer to give the Cornhuskers the lead for good at 8-7 at the 14:26 mark of the first half. Nebraska would extend the lead to nine with 2:13 to go in the half, but the Pirates wouldn't go away.
A layup by Nzei cut the deficit to 44-42 with 13:32 left to play in the game. The Cornhuskers then caught fire, and less than two minutes later Nebraska had a nine-point lead when Thomas Allen connected on a trey from the corner.
The Cornhuskers extended their lead to 17 on a jumper by Nana Akenten with just under six minutes to go, and Nebraska cruised from there.
The Pirates committed 14 turnovers while the Cornhuskers turned the ball over just eight times. Seton Hall also struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 2 of 16 attempts. Nebraska made 8 of 23 3-point tries.
Palmer started the game 0-for-8 before getting hot toward the end of the first half. He didn't connect on his first field goal until he sank a 3-point jumper from the top of the key with 3:50 left. His own run of seven straight points allowed the Cornhuskers to maintain a seven-point lead.
Nebraska led 33-27 at halftime despite just shooting 28 percent.
Seton Hall dominated in the paint, outscoring the Cornhuskers 18-8 in the first 20 minutes. Powell scored 10 of his 15 first-half points on layups.
The Pirates finished with a 36-24 scoring advantage in the paint.
--Field Level Media