Huskers roll again in an 83-58 victory in Italy
After cruising to a 31-point victory to open its four-game tour in Italy on Monday, the Nebraska basketball team traveled from Rome to Florence on Wednesday for the first of two meetings against Silute Basketball Club out of Lithuania.
While Game 2 was supposed a step up in competition against an older professional opponent, the Huskers again had little trouble cruising to an 83-58 victory.
Senior Haanif Cheatham and junior Dachon Burke both led the way with 20 points each, as NU used a 21-5 run spanning over the second and third quarters to turn a close contest into a blowout. The Huskers hit 10 3-pointers as a team, including five in the fourth quarter alone.
“We started off sluggish, watching on shots,” Nebraska assistant coach Armon Gates said in an interview with the Husker Sports Network. “Since we’re so small, everyone has to be engaged and rebound, put a body on someone.
“Our switching and talking was bad early, but that second group that came in at the start of the game kind of ignited us a little bit. We’ve just got to continue to grow. We’re still getting familiar with each other.”
Nebraska used a different starting lineup on Wednesday than it did for Game 1, going with Cheatham, senior Matej Kavas, junior Shamiel Stevenson, and freshmen Samari Curtis and Kevin Cross.
In their 87-56 win over Stella Azzurra Academy on Monday, the Huskers opened with Cheatham, Kavas, Burke, junior Jervay Green, and junior Thorir Thorbjarnarson.
Kavas finished with nine points on three 3-pointers while Curtis added eight points, as NU had 10 of its 12 players who saw the floor score in the game.
Nebraska will get right back to action on Thursday with a rematch against Silute BC in Florence, which will tip-off at 11 a.m. CT. The game is not expected to be streamed online.
The Huskers will tour Florence before the game, including seeing the famed Accademia Gallery. They will stay in Florence on Friday and take a day trip to Pisa to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. On Saturday, Nebraska will travel to Como, making a stop at the Ferrari Museum on the way.
After a boat tour of Lake Como and a quick trip to Bellagio (a small village off of Lake Como) on Sunday and a tour of Lugano, Switzerland, on Monday, the Huskers will return to Como on Monday night for their fourth and final game of the trip vs. Italian Select at noon CT.
NU Scoring: Dachon Burke 20; Haanif Cheatham 20; Matej Kavas 9; Samari Curtis 8; Shamiel Stevenson 6; Jervay Green 6; Thorir Thorbjarnarson 5; Dalano Banton 4; Charlie Easley 3; Kevin Cross 2.