Nebraska faced No. 13 Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday afternoon at the Target Center. The Huskers held a strong lead over the Fighting Illini in the first half but surrendered 58 points in the second half, resulting in their 98-87 loss.
Nebraska held a 15-point lead just after halftime, but Illinois rallied past the Huskers on the strength of 26 points in the paint and 59.4 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes. Both teams shot exactly 32-of-69 from the field. But the Fighting Illini landed 13-of-35 shots from three-point range, while the Huskers hit just 8-of-27.
The Huskers also failed to stop Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. dropped a career-high 40 points, a Big Ten tournament record, who shot 11-of-22 from the field and 13-of-16 from the free throw line. Brice Williams led Nebraska in points scored, dropping 23 in the loss. Keisei Tominaga tallied up 18 points and Rienk Mast scored 15 points.
Nebraska falls to 23-10 on the season and will await its fate in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament Selection Show is set for 5 p.m. on Sunday and can be viewed on CBS.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Basketball | Cornhuskers Wire…