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Copeland leads Huskers to breakout 92-70 win over UND

Less than three days after getting run out of the gym by St. John’s, Nebraska desperately needed a get-right game to rebuild some confidence and get the season back on track.

Though a hot start was followed by an occasionally sputtering second half, the Huskers got just what they needed in a 92-70 win over North Dakota on Sunday afternoon.

Junior forward Isaac Copeland finally broke out of his early-season slump with one of the best games of his career, as the Georgetown transfer led the way with a game-high 30 points on 12-of-14 shooting to go along with a game-high eight rebounds.

Senior guard Anton Gill also posted one of his best games as a Husker with a career-high 16 points and went 4-of-5 from 3-point range, as six total Huskers finished with at least eight points on the day.

In all, NU shot 52.0 percent from the field (36-of-68), 40 percent from 3-point range (8-of-20), and posted a season-high 20 assists for one of its most complete offensive performances of the year.

“I’m just so happy for them,” head coach Tim Miles said of Copeland and Gill. “People realize these are two guys that went through major surgeries … and to see them just really explode, I’m just so happy for them because I know what a relief it is, how exciting it is for them, and they deserve it.”

Copeland was the story of the first half, as he dropped 19 of his 30 points in the first 20 minutes and did so on a blistering 8-of-9 shooting to go along with six rebounds.

Copeland led the way for one of the more offensively efficient halves Nebraska has had this season, as the Huskers shot 60.6 percent from the field - their highest percentage in a half this year - and had 10 assists on 20 made field goals.

“It felt good,” Copeland said of his breakout day. “I have a good support system around me, so my dad calls me pretty much daily letting me know to keep working and stay positive and eventually it was going to happen. I didn’t expect it to be 30 points, but I’ll take it.”

As it's been more often than not early on this season, Nebraska took its foot off the gas a bit to start the second half and allowed the Fighting Hawks to cut a once 18-point lead down to nine with 14 minutes still to play.

The Huskers were able to get back to what worked so well to start the game and took the ball to the rim. That led to a flurry of layups and free throws that eventually pushed the lead back up to 20 with just under nine minutes left.

It wouldn’t get any closer than 16 the rest of the way, and Copeland and Gill buried back-to-back late 3-pointers to put the game away for good.

“Honestly, I’m just glad to be back playing after a year,” Gill said. “All of this just feels great to be back doing something that I love. It is what it is, it’s icing on the cake. But just to be back out there with my guys means everything to me.”

Junior guard Glynn Watson ended up with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists, while sophomore forward Isaiah Roby added 11 points, four boards and four dimes.

The Huskers’ 92 points were their most since last year’s 93-90 overtime win over Iowa and the most in a regulation regular-season game since a 92-65 win over Southeastern Louisiana on No. 22, 2015.

“(Nebraska radio play-by-play man) Kent Pavelka asked me, ‘Is this what you hope this team can be? If maybe Glynn or James (Palmer) doesn’t have a great night, but the other guys pick it up?’” Miles said. “I said, ‘This is what this team has to be.’”

Nebraska will return to action next week when it travels to Orlando, Fla., for the AdvoCare Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend. The Huskers will open the tournament vs. Central Florida on Thursday for a 5 p.m. tip, which will be streamed on ESPN3.

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3-POINT PLAY

1. Huskers do soul searching after loss to St. John’s

The last time Nebraska took the court before Saturday’s win was a total embarrassment in a 79-56 blowout at St. John’s on Thursday night.

After a “quiet” plane ride home, Copeland said the Huskers had some long talks about how a performance like that was “unacceptable” and could never happen again.

Sunday was just one win over a low-tier Division I opponent, but from a confidence standpoint, its value can’t be understated.

“Eventually you figure there’s going to be a return to a mean and we’re going to be OK,” Miles said. “But at the same time, you don’t know. I’m just really happy for those two guys to bust out, and I’m looking forward to other guys getting a better rhythm and our whole operation getting better.”

2. Tshimanga’s struggles becoming a concerning trend

Lost in the excitement over Nebraska’s impressive outing was another disappointing performance from sophomore center Jordy Tshimanga.

The 6-foot-11, 268-pounder has had a minimal impact for the Huskers over the first four games, especially on the offensive end. Tshimanga was just 1-of-5 shooting for two points and four rebounds in only 11 minutes of work vs. North Dakota.

That followed an equally unimpressive night vs. St. John’s where he shot 1-for-2 from the field for four points in 11 minutes, and he only had two points in 10 minutes of work the game before vs. North Texas.

It’s not just his own ineffectiveness that’s becoming a concern, but also how Nebraska’s offense as a whole has sputtered when he’s on the floor. Tshimanga posted a plus/minus total of five with a player efficiency rating of plus-three on Sunday.

3. Healthy again, Copeland plays up to five-star billing

As the first former five-star recruit ever to play at Nebraska, Copeland came into this season with expectations as high as maybe any Husker over the past 15 years.

But he was still working his way back into form after undergoing major surgery on his back and adjusting to a new style of play. That led to him averaging a modest 7.0 points per game on just 31.8 percent shooting while going 0-for-8 from beyond the arc over NU’s first three contests.

Finally, the shots started to fall on Sunday for the No. 23-ranked overall player in the 2014 class, and he looked like the game-changing player the Huskers thought they were getting all along.

“He’s been doing this his whole life…” said Gill, who grew up with Copeland in Raleigh, N.C. “This is him. This is what we expected.”

THEY SAID IT

"He was taking it."
— Anton Gill's response to a question for Isaac Copeland of whether North Dakota was giving him better shot opportunities or if he was just taking it to UND's defense.
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