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Western Illinois University Athletics

CSAND v Nebraska
75
Winner Western Ill. WIU 1-0,0-0 Summit League
74
Nebraska Nebr 0-1,0-0 Big Ten
Winner
Western Ill. WIU
1-0,0-0 Summit League
75
Final
74
Nebraska Nebr
0-1,0-0 Big Ten
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Ill. WIU 33 42 75
Nebraska Nebr 32 42 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Men's Basketball defeats Nebraska in Season Opener

Luka Barisic hits a game winner, Leathernecks earn their first victory this season.

LINCOLN, NEB. – The Western Illinois University Fighting Leatherneck men's basketball team played their season opener on Tuesday (Nov. 9), defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 75-74 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. Tuesday's victory was head coach Rob Jeter's third in his last four coaching battles against Big Ten competition and Western's first against a Big Ten opponent since they defeated Wisconsin on Nov. 13, 2015.
 
"I'm really proud of our team. It was a little sloppy at times but it's the first game for both teams," head coach Rob Jeter said. "The way we responded on the offensive glass and were able to win that battle… we played like Leathernecks. We were tough."
 
Featuring a starting five that included Colton Sandage, Trenton Massner, Will Carius, Tamell Pearson and Luka Barisic, the first six minutes were an indicator of what was to come. A back-and-forth affair, neither team got off to a hot shooting start but Western controlled the glass.
 
At halftime, Western led 33-32 thanks to a buzzer-beating tip in from Luka Barisic. They led the rebounding battle 33-18 (12-2 offensive) and made three shots from behind the arc. The Cornhuskers led the majority of the half, but Western held the lead.
 
The Leathernecks got off to a quick start in the second half thanks to more three pointers. Trenton Massner and Will Carius hit deep shots on back-to-back possessions to build the Leatherneck lead out to seven points with 18:09 remaining. The back-and-forth nature continued throughout the half, and the Leathernecks continued to capitalize on turnovers. At the 7:31 mark remaining in the game, there were seven ties and seven lead changes, with the Leathernecks scoring 14 total points off turnovers.
 
With 34 seconds remaining in the game, the Cornhuskers made a free throw and extended their lead to four, but the Leathernecks weren't out of it yet. Off an out of bounds play in Western's half of the court, Trenton Massner hit a pull-up three pointer with 20 seconds left to cut Nebraska's lead to just one. Western would foul to send Alonzo Verge to the line; he made the first but missed the second – meaning WIU had a chance to take the lead.
 
Off the missed free throw, KJ Lee brought the ball up the floor. Lee drew two defenders at the top of the arc, whipped a pass back to an open Luka Barisic, and Barisic buried the Cornhuskers with a three pointer that gave Western a lead with 6.7 seconds remaining. The Cornhuskers last-second attempt missed, and the Leathernecks left Lincoln on top.
 
"I didn't think about it. I just wanted to make the shot. I didn't have a very good shooting night but I made the last shot, the most important one," Barisic said. "It's a great feeling, we won and that's what is most important. We can celebrate tonight but we have to focus on Friday's game."
 
Trenton Massner led all Leatherneck scorers with 21 points, shooting 8-16 from the field and 4-8 from deep while grabbing eight rebounds. Barisic scored 12 points and added nine rebounds in 20 minutes of action, and Will Carius finished with 11 points and six rebounds. George Dixon grabbed nine rebounds (seven offensive) to pair with eight points, and Cameron Burrell finished with seven points, eight rebounds, one block and two steals. Jadrian Flores also finished with two steals, and Braden Lamar also forced a turnover.
 
"Trenton showed why he was an all-league player down in the Southland conference. He stepped up but I thought all our guys did really," coach Jeter said. "I thought Cam Burrell and especially KJ, he made a great play. He got two defenders on him, threw it back to Luka and made the shot… I'm really proud of the entire team. They came in ready to play."
 
The team dominated the glass, winning the rebounding battle 57-37, grabbing 23 offensive rebounds. The bench chipped in 18 points, and Western scored 16 points off turnovers while scoring 42 in the paint. There were nine ties and 12 lead changes, but Western held a lead for over 19 minutes of action. They hit nine three-pointers and forced 12 turnovers.
 
The Leathernecks are back in action on Friday (Nov. 12), taking on Culver-Stockton at Western Hall. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at Leathernecktickets.com.
 
 
 
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