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Nebrasketball Collapses in Second Half, Falls at Iowa in Overtime

The Huskers led by as many as 15 points in the second half, but some strong 3-point shooting and questionable officiating saw the Big Red fall on the road.

Kaleb Henry

Iowa guard Josh Dix shoots the ball as Nebraska guard Rollie Worster defends.
Iowa guard Josh Dix shoots the ball as Nebraska guard Rollie Worster defends. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
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Nebraska men's basketball had a Big Ten Conference road win nearly in the bag Tuesday night.

Nearly.

The Huskers blew a 15-point lead in the second half to fall at Iowa, 97-87, in overtime. Nebraska falls to 12-3 on the year and 2-2 in Big Ten play while Iowa improves to 11-4 overall and 2-2 in the league.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Andrew Morgan (23) goes to the basket as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Ladji Dembele (13) defends.
Nebraska forward Andrew Morgan goes to the basket as Iowa forward Ladji Dembele defends. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

A back-and-forth first half saw Nebraska lead by as many as eight points before a 5-0 Iowa run had the lead down to three at halftime. Out of the break, NU dominated both ends of the floor to stretch the lead to 15 points.

But then Iowa's Payton Sandfort got hot and Nebraska went cold.

The Huskers made just four of their next 17 shots as Iowa tied the game at 64. Sandfort, meanwhile, hit five 3s in less than 10 minutes of game time.

Nebraska guard Brice Williams attacks the basket against Iowa.
Nebraska guard Brice Williams attacks the basket against Iowa. / Nebraska Athletics

The Hawkeyes held a 74-70 lead with 1:09 to play. But Brice Williams hit a 3 five seconds later. Iowa then missed a 3. Williams turned the ball over, and after an obvious double dribble was missed followed by several fouls, Iowa was at the line with five seconds to go.

Brock Harding made both free throws.

Nebraska wasn't in the bonus, so Iowa could foul. They did so, fouling Williams at halfcourt. But the next attempt missed and Williams hit a triple at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

In the extra period, Iowa opened on a 9-0 run and Nebraska never threatened, falling by 10 in Iowa City.

Nebraska guard Rollie Worster shoots against Iowa.
Nebraska guard Rollie Worster shoots against Iowa. / Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska shot 46.5% for the game, including 9-of-23 from 3. Iowa shot 47.5% overall, making 17-of-35 3s.

At the line, Nebraska shot well below its season average of 77.3%, making just 12-of-22 attempts. Iowa made 22 free throws on 25 attempts.

Sandfort finished with 30 points, one behind his teammate Josh Dix who had 31. Dix made seven 3s.

Williams led Nebraska in scoring, finishing with 28 points. Juwan Gary had a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds but shot just 5-of-21 from the field.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg reacts during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg reacts during the first half. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Nebraska stays on the road Sunday to face No. 20 Purdue. Tip in West Lafayette is set for 11 a.m. CST on the Big Ten Network.

Box score

Nebraska Athletics Notes

  • This was Nebraska's first overtime game of the season, and the Huskers dropped to 67-57 all-time in OT games.
  • Brice Williams finished with 28 points, his seventh 20th-point night of the season and the 23rd of his career. He has now reached double figures for the 14th time in 15 games, and 18th in the last 19 games
  • Juwan Gary finished with his first double-double of the season and seventh of his career with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Gary's 13 rebounds were the most by a Husker this season. The previous high was 12 by Andrew Morgan against Murray State.
  • Nebraska with a 14-0 run in the first half, marking the Huskers' 14th double-figure run of the season.
  • Nebraska held Iowa to a season-low 31 first-half points, as Iowa's previous low was 33 against Washington State.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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