No. 25 Nebraska rode a suffocating defense and a balanced scoring effort to cruise past Minnesota, 84-65, Sunday at Pinnacle Bank Arena in the Big Ten opener for both teams. The loss was the Gophers’ first of the season, while the Cornhuskers improved to 8-1 overall.
Nebraska held Minnesota to 35 percent shooting, including a meager 5-for-21 from three-point range. Meanwhile, four Huskers scored at least 10 points and eight scored at least seven points. Alberte Rimdal came off the bench to lead NU in scoring with 12 points on four-for-eight shooting. Alexis Markowski narrowly missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, while Callin Hake also added 11 points. Amiah Hargrove contributed 10 points on four-for-five shooting.
The Huskers owned the glass against the Gophers, outrebounding them 49-30 while also topping them in second-chance points, 23-11. Nebraska led by 16 after one, held a 36-19 advantage at halftime and opened a 53-38 edge through three quarters.
Nebraska returns to the floor Wednesday against Tarleton State at 7 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on B-107.3 and KLIN.