Kansas State Wildcats vs Nebraska Cornhuskers Box Score on Dec 19, 2021

Nijel Pack scored 15 points as Kansas State registered a 67-58 nonconference victory over Nebraska on Sunday evening in Lincoln, Neb.

In the first meeting between the former conference rivals since 2011, the teams combined to shoot 11 of 54 (20.4 percent) from 3-point range and commit a collective 36 turnovers.

Pack played 33 minutes in his first extended action since missing a pair of games due to a concussion. He played just 15 minutes against Green Bay last time out in his first game back. In this one, he shot 5 of 13 from the field and also recorded eight rebounds and five assists.

Ismael Massoud added 10 points for Kansas State (7-3), which won for the fifth time in six games. Kaosi Ezeagu chipped in nine points and nine rebounds.

Alonzo Verge Jr. scored 21 points and Bryce McGowens pitched in 14 for Nebraska (5-7), which lost its fifth straight. The Cornhuskers shot 0 of 11 from 3-point range in the second half and 5 of 28 from beyond the arc overall.

Nebraska controlled the opening portions of the first half, taking a 25-15 lead on C.J. Wilcher's 3-pointer about 11 minutes into the game. However, the Cornhuskers' offense completely fell apart from there, as the team did not score another point for more than eight minutes. Nebraska missed nine consecutive shots during that stretch and went into the locker room trailing 33-27.

After scoring 18 of the final 20 points of the first half, Kansas State promptly allowed nine straight points to open the second half.

Nebraska led 47-45 following a Verge three-point play near the midpoint of the second period, but the Wildcats scored 12 of the next 14 points to take control. Pack's 3-pointer began the surge, and Davion Bradford scored the next five points before layups by Massoud and Pack created a 57-49 advantage for the visitors.

The Cornhuskers trailed 59-50 with 3 1/2 minutes left before a quick 5-0 run made things interesting. However, Mark Smith's 3-pointer with 1:34 remaining extended the lead back to eight, and the Wildcats held on down the stretch.

--Field Level Media