FINAL BOX SCORE

Nebraska came into its home game against Gardner-Webb on the heels of an eight-day break and in desperate need of a victory to regain some momentum.

But after trailing by as many as seven points to their Big South Conference and not leading for the final 13:09, the Huskers were handed a stunning upset loss in a “buy game”, this one ending 70-62.

Nebraska, which has now lost six of its past seven games, experimented with a different starting lineup that yielded minimal results. When all was said and done, NU shot just 39.3 percent from the field, 17.6 percent from 3-point range, 57.7 percent from the free throw line, and turned the ball over 20 times.

All that added up to far and away the team’s most frustrating and disappointing outing of the year.

In front of a sleepy crowd of 8,144, Nebraska sputtered through the first 20 minutes of action on both ends of the floor. After starting just 1-of-8 from the field with four turnovers, the Huskers led just 18-17 midway through the half.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Gardner-Webb gave the Runnin’ Bulldogs their first lead since the opening minutes at 25-24. Nebraska was able to reclaim the lead at the free throw line and take a 30-28 advantage into halftime, but it was a performance that left much to be desired.

The Huskers shot just 39.3 percent (11-28) from the field and 11.1 percent (1-9) from 3-point range to go along with 10 turnovers in the first half.

Things didn’t start out any better in the second half, as NU quickly fell behind 35-31 as the offensive woes continued.

Finally a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Jack McVeigh with 15 minutes left tied it up at 39-39, but the teams would trade the lead eight times before Gardner-Webb went back up 53-48 with nine minutes left for its biggest advantage yet.

That lead would grow to as many as seven points with six minutes to play while the Huskers went on yet another scoring drought, this one lasting nearly three full minutes without a made field goal.

The deficit stayed on into the three-minute mark, but a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Glynn Watson got it back to 62-58. Nebraska got the stop on defense and Webster hit two free throws to cut it to 62-60.

The Huskers got another stop next time down but were unable to capitalize on offense. That led to two free throws by Gardner-Webb to make it a four-point game, and a missed 3-pointer by McVeigh set up another Bulldog free throw to make it 65-60 with 1:05 left.

A quick layup by Webster got it to 65-62, but GWU answered right back with a layup just before the shot clock expired.

Sophomore forward Michael Jacobson missed two free throws with 20.6 remaining, and that would be the the final nail in Nebraska’s coffin.

Webster ended up with a team-high 17 points while Watson added 14, and sophomore forward Edward Morrow finished with nine points and a career-high 18 rebounds - the most by a Husker in a game since Aleks Maric in 2006.

Nebraska will return to action on Tuesday night to close out non-conference play against Southern.

Nebraska had zero energy, and there are no excuses

After the game, Miles noted several times how his players just didn’t come out with the energy they needed. For a team that had just gotten an eight-day break and was desperate for a victory against an inferior opponent, it’s hard to justify how exactly that could happen. This was a game the Huskers absolutely had to win, yet they looked as lost, confused and uninspired as we’ve seen them yet this year. This is a huge blow in terms of keeping any shot at an NIT bid alive, as NU must now make up yet another game during the grind of the Big Ten schedule.

Confidence is a major issue with this team

A big reason for the Huskers’ lack of energy was the fact that several players just didn’t look comfortable on the court all game. Players were passing up open looks, double-clutching on shots, dribbling when they didn’t have to, and just showing overall hesitation on both ends of the floor. It’s worth wondering how utilizing a new starting line up - Webster, Evan Taylor, Anton Gill, Morrow and Jacobson - for the first time in the past 11 games impacted some guys. Freshman Isaiah Roby showed flashes at times but only played 12 minutes. Freshman Jordy Tshimanga, who had his best game as a Husker last time out at Kansas, played just eight minutes.

Offense has reached lowest point yet

Nebraska’s offense has been an issue for a while now, but the Huskers were as cold as ever on Sunday. Along with shooting under 40 percent for the seventh time in 11 games, NU went 3-of-17 from beyond the arc. That now makes Nebraska 9-for-46 from 3-point range over the past three games. Worst of all, the Huskers also struggled at the free throw line, the one area they’d actually had some success this season. Nebraska came in ranked 13th nationally in free throw percentage (78.3), but went just 15-of-26 on Sunday.

“The issue is us. It’s us and it’s our mindset. You just go across the line and you can find something wrong with production, but that ultimately comes down to me getting guys in the right place. This is on me, and I hope to have a lot better answer for you on Tuesday.”

- Head coach Tim Miles on what went wrong in Nebraska's loss to Gardner-Webb