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 Watson |  McVeigh |  Fuller |
-----------------------------
1 2 total
Ohio State 30 27 57
NEBRASKA 24 34 58
----------------------------- | ||
The Huskers (12-14, 6-8 Big Ten) trailed 57-52 with 30.6 seconds left after a Marc Loving 3-pointer, but made the plays in the final seconds to earn the program's first-ever road win in Columbus.
Jack McVeigh, who came off the bench and had 11 points, hit a 3-pointer with 24.7 seconds left to pull NU within 57-55 and the Huskers used their last timeout. On the ensuing inbounds, Nick Fuller and Tai Webster tied up Kam Williams with 21.2 seconds left, giving the Huskers one final chance to win.
The Buckeyes, who had three fouls to give before putting the Huskers in the bonus, fouled Watson twice to kill some time. On the Huskers' third attempt, Watson got through the Buckeye defense, drew contact and connected off glass to tie the score. Watson than completed the 3-point play to give the Huskers their first lead since the opening minutes.
Watson finished with 14 points and five rebounds, as four Huskers finished in double figures in NU's second double-digit road comeback this season. Tai Webster led all scorers with 17 points, while Ed Morrow Jr. added 10 points and six boards before fouling out.
Ohio State (15-13, 5-10 B1G) had one final shot, but the Huskers forced Jae'Sean Tate, who led Ohio State with 14 points, into a tough off-balanced jumper which Webster rebounded as time expired.
Nebraska, which trailed by as many as 11 points in opening minutes of the second half, trailed 43-34 before Morrow and McVeigh keyed a 9-0 spurt. Morrow scored on three straight baskets before McVeigh's 3-pointer with 8:45 left knotted the score at 43.
The teams would trade baskets, and NU was within 48-47 after a McVeigh 3-pointer when Morrow fouled out with 4:43 left. The Buckeyes took advantage, running off seven straight points to take a 54-47 advantage heading into the final media timeout. Nebraska made an adjustment, going to a 1-3-1 zone that limited OSU in the final minutes of the first half. NU chipped away as a 3-pointer from Watson and a bucket by McVeigh cut the deficit to 54-52 with 1:30 left.
In the first half, Nebraska overcame a slow start and rallied to within 30-24 at the half. Nebraska shot 33 percent from the floor in the opening stanza and heated up in the final minutes after missing 15 of its first 20 shots, as Ohio State built an 11-point lead behind 11 first-half points from Tate.
Trailing 24-13, the Huskers rallied behind a stronger defensive effort and the play of Tai Webster, who had 11 first-half points. The senior scored seven points in an 11-5 Husker run, as Nebraska pulled to within 29-24 after an Ed Morrow Jr. layup.
Nebraska also clamped down on the defensive end, holding Ohio State without a field goal for the final 5:39 of the half, as OSU shot just 41 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
The Huskers return to action on Thursday evening, as they take on Michigan State. Tipoff in East Lansing is set for 6 p.m. (CT) and will be carried on the Husker Sports Network and televised on ESPNU.