Keisei Tominaga scored seven of his team-high 18 points in a 48-second span in the second half as Nebraska held off Rutgers, 67-56, on Sunday afternoon.
Tominaga, making his final regular-season appearance at Pinnacle Bank Arena, took over after Rutgers cut a 16-point second-half lead to 54-58 with 7:05 left.
Tominaga started the streak with a conventional 3-point play before sending the crowd of 15,854 into a frenzy with a four-point play as he was fouled while hitting a 3-pointer from the logo to give the Huskers a 61-48 cushion with 6:00 left. Tominaga capped a personal 12-0 run with a trio of foul shots that put NU ahead 64-51 with 5:19 left and NU with a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
While Tominaga scored the game-winning run, it was the play of Josiah Allick and Juwan Gary that set the tone for Nebraska (21-9, 11-8 Big Ten), as both players recorded double-doubles. Alick scored 10 points and had 12 rebounds, while Gary added 15 points, 11 blocks and three blocks.
The pair helped Nebraska post a 44-40 advantage on the glass while the Huskers held Rutgers to 32.8 percent shooting, including 4-of-25 from 3-point range.
Nebraska increased its lead in the opening minutes of the second half, building a 49-33 lead after a pair of Bryce Williams free throws with 14:36 remaining, but Rutgers would climb back into the game. The visitors used a 15-5 spurt to pull within 54-48 with just over seven minutes remaining before Tominaga took over down the stretch.
Nebraska’s defense and rebounding were the story in the first half as the Huskers led 37-25 at the break. Nebraska held the Scarlet Knights to just 34 percent shooting in the first half and enjoyed a 24-12 advantage on the glass that led to 12 second-chance points for the Huskers.
Nebraska started strong, jumping out to an 8-0 lead, including a trio of wild cards in the first five minutes of the game. Nebraska used a 9-2 spurt to push the lead to 12, 19-7, after a 3-pointer by CJ Wilcher at the 10:05 mark.
Rutgers was within 24-15 after a Jeremiah Williams basket, but Gary scored five of his 11 first-half points in an 8-0 run that made it 32-15 with 3:47 left in the half.
Rutgers mounted a comeback, with a 10-3 run to pull within 35-25 after Gavin Griffiths’ 3-pointer, but Gary’s dunk made it 12 at halftime.
Williams led Rutgers (15-14, 7-11) with 14 points, while Griffiths added 10 points off the bench, including a pair of 3-pointers.
The Huskers conclude the regular season on the road when they take on Michigan at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Sunday, March 10. Tipoff is set for 11am. and will be carried on the Big Ten Network and the Huskers Radio Network.