Huskers top Boston College 71-62 in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Given the level of difficulty awaiting on Nebraska’s schedule over the next couple weeks, Wednesday night’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge showdown with Boston College arguably approached must-win territory.

Behind nine 3-pointers and a 12-0 run over the final seven minutes, the Huskers accomplished precisely what they needed to do in a 71-62 victory.

While four straight ranked opponents are now up next for NU in No. 3 Michigan State, No. 12 Minnesota, No. 25 Creighton, and No. 2 Kansas, head coach Tim Miles said his 6-2 squad is gaining steam at exactly the right time.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” Miles said. “It's nice to beat a Power Five school. It's our first we beat this year - I think it's the only one we've played. We have about four more coming that will get our attention too."

Nebraska came out firing to open the game, making five of its first six 3-pointers and jumping out to an early 19-10 lead. But Boston College wouldn’t go away quietly, responding with an 8-2 run and eventually pulling within 33-31 with 3:31 left in the half.

Two straight baskets by James Palmer and then a 3-pointer by Glynn Watson at the buzzer got the Huskers back in control going into halftime, though, leading 44-36. Nebraska ended up shooting 8-of-13 from the behind the arc in the first half and had 10 assists on 15 made shots.

“This year, we've been putting halves together, but not a full game,” senior guard Evan Taylor said. “Today, they made their runs, but we stayed strong. We never lost the lead, so it's just a sign of growth. Hopefully, we can build on that."

Nebraska pushed its lead back up to 11 with a 3-pointer by Anton Gill and a jumper by Watson to open the second half, but once again a prolonged cold streak would hit the Huskers’ offense.

With NU missing seven straight shots and going on a 6:03 scoring drought, Boston College was able to put together a 9-0 run and pull within 49-47 before Palmer finally ended the streak with a jumper at the 12:06 mark.

The Eagles would get within two points four more times over the next six minutes, but the Huskers kept finding ways to stay in front and eventually took their biggest lead since the 18-minute mark after an And-1 by Palmer made it 67-57 with 4:25 to go.

“We were up 11 and then I put in kind of a different group, and that experiment went awry and they got it down to two, 59-57, I think,” Miles said. “Then we had eight straight stops, and that was important.”

Nebraska ended up using a 12-0 run and a nearly six-minute Boston College scoring drought to take its largest lead of the night at 71-57 on a jumper by Isaac Copeland with 1:17 remaining.

While NU shot just 41.4 percent from the field and went 1-for-6 on threes in the second half, it was the duo of Palmer (11) and Copeland (7) that combined to score 18 of the team’s 27 points after halftime to carry the load.

Copeland and Palmer ended up leading the Huskers with 15 points each, while Taylor scored a season-high 13 points and Watson added 10, six assists, two steals, and did not commit a turnover in 30 minutes of action.

The Huskers will return to work on Sunday for their Big Ten Conference opener at No. 2 Michigan State, with tip-off set for 3:30 p.m. Central on FS1.

“Who wouldn't want to play against four of the best programs in the country?” Taylor said. “It's going to be hard, but it's an opportunity to show the world what Nebraska basketball is and to get better. I'm excited, and I know our guys are excited and we hope for the best."

1. Watson fights through

You probably wouldn’t have known it watching him on Wednesday night, but Watson was nearly forced to miss the second half after dealing with an illness and light-headedness throughout the game. The junior point guard was still able to fill the final box score for what Miles called an “exceptional” performance.

With six assists and no turnovers on the night, Watson now has a 23-3 assist-to-turnover ratio over the past four games. He also recorded two steals to give him multiple steals in three of Nebraska’s previous four contests.

Not bad for a guy who almost didn’t come back out for the second half.

“At halftime I was worried,” Miles said. “When Glynn is into the ball, he’s good, and Glynn just wasn’t into the ball early. Then when he did, we stretched the lead to eight to nine points right before halftime, and that was all Glynn.”

2. Free throw struggles remain a concern

On one hand, Nebraska knocked down nine 3-pointers against Boston College, marking their second-highest total from behind the arc this season since draining 11 vs. Marist.

On the other, the Huskers were a dismal 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from the free throw line, including making just 6-of-10 in the first half and 2-of-5 in the second.

Copeland (4-of-7) and sophomore center Jordy Tshimanga (0-for-3) were the biggest culprits, but Miles said his team - which is shooting just 70.3 percent from the line on the season - had to do a better job of capitalizing at the charity stripe.

“When you go out and shoot better from the three than you do the foul line, you’ve got a problem,” Miles said. “We’ve got to make our foul shots.”

3. Roby's absence was noticed

Nebraska was without one of the key pieces of its frontcourt against Boston College, as sophomore forward Isaiah Roby was sidelined with a sprained ankle he suffered last time out vs. Long Beach State.

Not only did Roby’s absence leave the Huskers without their leading shot blocker and second-best rebounder, Miles said it kept far and away NU’s most efficient player watching from the bench.

Based on the team’s charts, Miles said Roby has graded out with an A+ efficiency rating this season. The next highest grade is Watson at a B+.

The good news was Miles said Roby has progressed from being on crutches to wearing a protective walking boot to being able to walk without a boot over the past three days. However, is availability remains in doubt for Sunday’s game at Michigan State.

“We need to get him back,” Miles said. “We need to be at full strength against these guys.”