Despite seeming to be in hand, Nebraska women’s basketball gave Husker fans a stressful Thursday evening.
The Huskers had to hold on down the stretch to beat Michigan State 71-67 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The win pushed NU to 13-9 on the year, including 5-6 in the Big Ten Conference.
An ugly start saw Nebraska with four turnovers in the first two minutes. But after settling down, the Huskers put together a 10-0 to grab the lead.
That lead swelled to 18 points at half and as much as 21 in the third quarter.
But the turnover issue from the start of the game never went away.
After nine first half turnovers, NU committed eight in the third quarter and nine more in the fourth quarter. Those extra possession for Michigan State helped them to close the gap late.
After Sam Haiby made what would ultimately be Nebraska’s last field goal with 7:25 left, the Spartans put together a 15-2 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes to cut the deficit to two points.
Over the last three minutes, Nebraska shot 14 free throws; 10 of those went in. That was just enough as the Spartans missed multiple free throws and good looks in an effort to steal the game late.
Nebraska shot 42.6 percent for the game, including 8-of-24 on 3s. Michigan State finished with 42.1 percent shooting and 4-of-19 from deep.
The Huskers made 17-of-26 free throws compared to 15-of-24 for the Spartans.
NU’s 26 turnovers on the night are a season-high.
Issie Bourne led all scorers with 20 points, adding nine rebounds. Haiby and Alexis Markowski both notched double-doubles that included 11 points. Markowski grabbed 13 rebounds and Haiby 10.
Nebraska heads back on the road Monday to face Northwestern.