Texas Tech bullies Huskers to 70-52 defeat

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – One of the big questions facing Nebraska going into its Hall of Fame Classic championship showdown with Texas Tech was how it would respond against by far the most physical test it would see yet this season.

Based on the way the Red Raiders bullied the Huskers on both ends of the floor en route to a 70-52 defeat, the answer left a lot to be desired.

Senior forward Isaac Copeland scored a team-high 20 points but did so shooting 5-of-9 from the field and 9-of-14 from the free throw line. Senior guard James Palmer Jr. added 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting, and no other Husker scored in double figures.

In all, Nebraska shot just 35.4 percent from the field, went 5-for-23 from 3-point range, turned the ball over 14 times, was out-rebounded 38-29, and was out-scored 34-18 in the paint.

“That was an excellent defensive effort on their part,” Nebraska head coach Tim Miles said. “They just made everything a grind, everything very difficult; and then their ability to score in the paint and come up with 50/50 balls – it seemed like every time we had a chance to make something happen, they’d come up with the ball.

“Whether that be hustle or grit or luck, it doesn’t matter. They did it, we didn’t.”

Nebraska got off to a hot start with assists on its first four made shots of the night to jump out to an early 13-4 lead. But the Huskers quickly went ice-cold with a nearly five-minute scoring drought that led to a 12-0 Texas Tech run.

South Dakota transfer Matt Mooney scored six straight points to end the half and send the Red Raiders into the locker room with a 32-26 lead.

Palmer had nine of his 13 points in the first half, but NU ended up shooting just 37.4 percent from the floor and 3-of-12 from 3-point range while turning it over eight times.

Texas Tech was only 1-for-5 from behind the arc with seven turnovers of its own, but it countered by dominating the glass on both ends for a 20-13 rebounding advantage and a 7-0 edge in second-chance points.

“They’ve got a good shot blocker (Tariq Owens), and they really load up on help defense and switch a lot,” Copeland said of Texas Tech’s defense. “It’s something we haven’t really seen yet, so I’m glad we experienced it, and we can learn from it.”

The Huskers were able to cut an eight-point deficit down to two on a 3-pointer by senior guard Glynn Watson with 16:56 left, but Palmer picked up his third and fourth fouls in the first five minutes of the second half to leave NU without its top scoring threat.

A 3-pointer by guard Jarrett Culver put Tech up by its biggest lead yet at 48-38 with 11 minutes to go, and the Red Raiders eventually went up 55-42 while the Huskers went nearly six minutes without a made field goal.

Tech’s lead would grow to as much 17 before Nebraska was finally able to come up with some offense, and that would be more than enough cushion to coast the rest of the way.

Culver ended up with a game-high 26 points while Mooney followed up with 15, as Texas Tech shot 43.9 percent from the floor as a team and hit 13-of-16 free throws in the second half.

“It was tough,” Palmer said. “That’s a great defensive team, and like Cope said, they really load up on the inside, take charges, and they have a good shot blocker. That was a great job by them.”

Nebraska will get a few days off before returning to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday to take on Western Illinois for a 1 p.m. tip. The game will be streamed on BTN Plus.

“It’s valuable if we learn our lesson, right?” Miles said of the loss. “So, we’ll find out.”

1. Huskers weren’t up to the challenge

After rolling to a 4-0 start against sub-par competition, Nebraska was faced with its first real fight of the year against a Texas Tech team that plays a brand of defense as tough as there is in the country. As soon as the Red Raiders got their turnovers under control and made NU operate its offense almost strictly in the halfcourt, every possession became a complete struggle. Tech packed the paint and dared the Huskers to score on the perimeter, and they responded by shooting 21.7 percent from behind the arc and made just 13 of their 21 free-throw attempts. “I thought they punched first and we punched second, and when James got in foul trouble we quit scoring,” Miles said. “That was bothersome to me.”

2. The bench was non-existent

This game was an off-night for pretty much the entire starting lineup, which is a recipe for disaster no matter the opponent. But on a night like this, the Huskers needed something from its bench, and they hardly got a thing. Sophomore Nana Akenten scored two points and senior center Tanner Borchardt had one, as NU was out-scored 15-3 in bench points. In fact, NU didn’t score its first bench points until hit a jumper with 12:26 left in the game. Nebraska can’t be so reliant on its top group, especially as the competition only continues to ramp up.

3. Where was Roby?

Palmer struggled with fouls all night, Copeland had an inefficient 20 points, and Watson had his worst shooting night of the year with six points on 2-of-11 shooting. Nebraska’s biggest luxury was that even when three members of its “Core Four” were off, there would be at least one more go-to option to lean on. That’s what made Isaiah Roby’s performance especially costly. The junior forward managed just six points with four turnovers in 37 minutes. Not only that, he often looked timid and reluctant to be more of a factor with the ball. There’s been so much talk of how good Roby could be, but until he finally plays with confidence, he’ll never become the player so many think he could be.