Coming off a big upset of the No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers Wednesday, the Gophers couldn’t follow up their big win Sunday, falling to Nebraska 82-78 in Lincoln without Andre Hollins.
Malik Smith lit it up from deep the entire night, going 8-of-12 from three-point land, but without their leading scorer Hollins, who will miss at least one more game with a sprained ankle, there wasn’t enough consistent offense for the Gophers outside of Smith.
Defense also proved to be an issue for Minnesota, as Terran Petteway, Nebraska’s leading scorer, put up 35 on the Gophers, and the Huskers shot 50 percent from the field and from distance.
The Gophers trailed much of the game, down by as many as 15 midway through the second half, but chipped away at the lead to get within two with under five seconds left.
But Petteway made two free throws to ensure Nebraska wouldn’t choke the lead away late, and the Huskers have now won two of their last three conference games after starting the Big Ten year by losing four straight games.
The Gophers are now 4-4 in the Big Ten, and return to action Saturday against Northwestern.
