Huskers have record night in 106-37 blowout of MVSU

Nebraska’s 2018-19 season officially got underway on Tuesday night against Mississippi Valley State, but the first game felt more like a varsity vs. freshman team scrimmage.

The Huskers set multiple single-game records in a 106-37 domination that was never close.

When all was said and done, NU broke the Pinnacle Bank Arena single-game record for points and fell five points shy of matching the 112-year-old school record for margin of victory. The 106 points were the most by NU since scoring 107 vs. North Carolina A&T in 2006 and were the 17th total in program history.

The Delta Devils also set an all-time low for shooting percentage (19.1), and their 37 points tied for the sixth-lowest by an opponent in school history (the fewest since 2007) and were the least allowed under head coach Tim Miles.

“I thought we did a lot of things right tonight,” Miles said. “Sometimes after a game like this you don’t feel good, but I thought our guys just hung in there and did the right things for a long time.”

James Palmer Jr. drained a 3-pointer on the very first shot attempt of the night, and the game was essentially over from that point on.

The Huskers went on a 22-3 run to break the game wide open at 31-7 with 8:25 still to go in the first half, and that eventually ended up in a dominant 55-13 halftime lead.

Nebraska’s 55 points tied the Pinnacle Bank Arena record for points in a half, which was just set last season vs. Texas-San Antonio. The Delta Devils’ 13 points also tied the opponent PBA record for fewest points in a half (Miami in 2013).

“At halftime, we just preached to finish the game strong and not worry about the score,” Palmer said.

The lead only continued to balloon on into the second half, as Nebraska shot 75 percent from the floor and hit 4-of-6 from downtown through the first seven minutes after halftime.

The Huskers would end up leading by a staggering 72 points after clearing their bench for the bulk of the second half.

Glynn Watson led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and a 5-of-7 clip from 3-point range. Palmer finished with 17 points, while Nana Akenten came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points with five made 3-pointers.

Freshman Brady Heiman added an impressive debut with nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Overall, the Huskers had 23 assists on 38 made shots and hit 15-of-37 3-pointers (41 percent), marking the most made threes under Miles.

Nebraska will return to action on Sunday when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana for a 3 p.m. tip at Pinnacle Bank Arena. That game will be televised on ESPNU.

“It’s just the first game,” Watson said. “That wasn’t a good team, so we’re just going to keep working.”

1. Good Palmer returns

From the moment he drained a 3-pointer on the very first shot attempt of the game, it became clear that it was going to be a much different night for Palmer.

After a sluggish unofficial debut in the exhibition win over Wayne State, Palmer was dialed in from the opening tip on Tuesday night. It wasn’t just his 17 points in 20 minutes of work that impressed, but also his five assists, career-high three blocks, and going 8-of-11 from the free throw line.

That all-around production looked far more like the reigning first-team All-Big Ten selection than he was last time out. Nebraska needs that Palmer to show up far more often than not, especially when the level of competition increases dramatically as soon as next week.

“I thought James was really good,” Miles said. “I thought that he was on the attack, downhill.”

2. The bench got plenty of work

Given the severe lopsided nature of the game, Nebraska’s bench got ample opportunity for some quality minutes.

The Huskers played 10 guys in the first 10 minutes, and all 12 available players saw the floor before the final horn sounded. Eleven players scored at least three points in the win, with a whopping 48 points coming from the bench.

Akenten led the way, but other reserves like Heiman (21 minutes), Thorir Thorbjarnarson (nine points, four rebounds, and two assists in 21 minutes) and Amir Harris (six points, five rebounds, two assists in 18 minutes) all got valuable game experience.

On Monday, Miles said one of his most pressing issues entering the season was figuring out a solid bench rotation after his starters. A night like Tuesday certainly provided a good long look at numerous lineup combinations, which will go a long way toward pairing things down later in the year.

3. Akenten gets his chance to shine

For a player who only averaged three minutes of playing time and scored a total of seven points in just seven game appearances last year as a true freshman, Tuesday was finally Akenten’s night to shine.

The sophomore from Bolingbrook, Ill., made the most of his career-high 13 minutes of action vs. MVSU, taking a team-high 14 shots and 11 3-point attempts en route to his 18-point performance.

“My teammates just kept encouraging me, my coaches as well, and I was just out there having fun,” Akenten said.

Akenten will primarily be counted on as a role player off the bench, but his showing in the opener proved he could be capable of providing a little more on the offensive end if needed.

“It was great," Palmer said. "He’s been working all summer on his overall game, not just his shot. Tonight was his night.”

A three-star prospect who only held one high-major offer coming out of high school, Miles said Akenten gave a glimpse of what NU’s coaching staff saw in his potential.

“I think people can see what we saw,” Miles said. “He’s never really had a chance to show out, so it was good for him to get some reps up and down the floor, and you can see why we like him.”