Bryce McGowens' 29 points led three Huskers in double figures, as Nebraska overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to post a 74-65 win over Sam Houston Friday evening.
McGowens totaled 29 points – tying the second-highest total by a freshman in school history – on 9-of-13 shooting, including four 3-pointers and five rebounds for Nebraska (1-1). McGowens joined Dave Hoppen as the only freshman to post multiple 25-point performances in school history.
NU also got 13 points, seven assists and four steals from Alonzo Verge Jr., while Eduardo Andre provided a big spark off the bench with 11 points and seven boards – both career bests in 15 minutes off the bench.
Savion Flagg led Sam Houston (1-1) with 31 points and 11 rebounds, but was the only Bearkat in double figures. NU held Demarkus Lampley to just seven points on 2-of-14 shooting, as Sam Houston shot just 37.5 percent from the field.
Early on, Nebraska took a quick 7-3 lead, but was unable to connect offensively, missing 12 straight shots as the Bearkats used a 18-5 spurt to build its largest lead of the half at 22-12 with 7:22 left in the first half.
The Huskers climbed back into the game with a boost from Andre, who had six points and five boards in the first half, including four straight points and a highlight reel dunk, as part of a 6-0 NU run that turned
a nine-point deficit into a 27-24 game with 1:24 left in the half.
NU eventually pulled to within three on a Bryce McGowens' 3-pointer by Savion Flagg's jumper beat the first half buzzer and sent the visitors to the locker room with a five-point lead at 32-27. NU shot just 32
percent, including 2-of-13 from long range, in the opening 20 minutes but shot 50 percent in the second half.
Sam Houston quickly extended the margin by scoring the first five points of the second half to take a 37-27 lead before the Huskers regrouped. Nebraska ran off six straight points to force a Bearkat timeout with 17:01 left after Verge's basket made it a 37-33 contest.
Trailing 45-41, the Huskers used an 10-1 spurt to take their first lead since the opening minutes, extending the margin to 51-45 lead with 10:30 left after Andre scored five straight Husker points
Sam Houston would come back, using a 7-1 run of its own to take a 53-54 lead with 8:51 left, but Verge took over, scoring five straight to give NU the lead. In all, the Huskers used a 14-5 run, holding the visitors to one field goal in a six-minute stretch to push the lead to 67-57 after a pair of Trey McGowens free throws with 2:26 left.
Nebraska iced the game from the foul line, going 19-of-23 in the second half and finishing the contest shooting 26-of-36 from the line.
The Huskers return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 16, as Nebraska hosts Creighton. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. and a limited number of tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office during business hours. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and will be carried on FS1 and the Huskers Radio Network.
Eduardo Andre and Bryce McGowens combined for 40 points and 12 boards against Sam Houston.