Nebraska blows out Minnesota as Juwan Gary scores career-high 22 points

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska men’s basketball defeated Minnesota at home Sunday, taking a big step toward the NCAA tournament.

The Huskers (20-8) won 73-55 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska shot only 39% from the field. But the defense held the Gophers (17-10) to 31% from the field and 26% from 3-point range.

The Huskers struggled out of the gate, and Minnesota had a 5-0 lead three minutes into the game.

But Josiah Allick made a hook shot jumper that started a 7-0 run for Nebraska.

The game was a tit-for-tat affair until a 3-pointer by Brice Williams and a layup by Rienk Mast put NU up by 6 with less than seven minutes left in the first half.

The Huskers’ lead grew to 12 points, thanks in part to two layups by Williams and a 3-pointer by Keisei Tominaga.

Minnesota’s Parker Fox scored 6 straight points to cut into that lead, but Nebraska went into the locker room up 28-20.

The Gophers’ 20 first-half points were the fewest the Huskers have allowed this season.

Nebraska roared out of the gate in the second half, with Williams and Juwan Gary leading the way.

The Huskers outscored Minnesota 15-8 in the first five minutes.

They maintained a big lead, as large as 23 points, from then on.

Gary led Nebraska with a career-high 22 points, including a career-high four 3-pointers.

Williams added 15 points, followed by Jamarques Lawrence with 11 and Mast with 10.

This is the first time the Huskers have reached 20 wins since the 2017-18 season.

And the win means Nebraska, which is 10-7 in the Big Ten, will finish at least .500 in the conference. That also hadn’t happened since 2017-18.

Nebraska will play at Ohio State at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The game will be broadcast on FS1.