Tominaga scores 30, Nebraska keeps Michigan reeling with 85-70 victory

Mar 10, 2024, 06:41 pm

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- — Keisei Tominaga scored 30 points and Nebraska clinched a tie for third place by beating Michigan 85-70 on Sunday in a Big Ten Conference regular-season finale.

Nebraska (22-9, 12-8) matched its second highest win total. Coach Fred Hoiberg and the Cornhuskers tied Northwestern for third place, earning a double by in the conference tournament.

Michigan (8-23, 3-17) has lost eight in a row and 13 of its last 14, setting a single-season school record with 23 losses under embattled coach Juwan Howard. The Wolverines finished last in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967. When the Wolverines honored their seniors about 15 minutes before tipoff, just hundreds of fans in the 13,562-seat Crisler Center witnessed the on-court ceremony.

Tominaga made 12 of 17 shots from the floor for Nebraska, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. He entered play needing 18 points to become the 31st Cornhusker to top 1,000 in a career. He is the 11th to do it in three seasons.

Josiah Allick scored 15 on 6-for-6 shooting for Nebraska. Rienk Mast added 12 points and Brice Williams scored 10.

Dug McDaniel topped Michigan with 17 points, but he did not score in the second half. Terrance Williams II hit three 3-pointers and scored 14.

Tominaga sank four 3-pointers and scored 23 to lead Nebraska to a 50-43 advantage at halftime. The Cornhuskers shot 70% overall (21 for 30) and made 6 of 12 from beyond the arc. McDaniel had five 3-pointers before the break for Michigan. The Wolverines shot 55.2% (16 for 29) and made 8 of 15 from distance.

Williams' 3-pointer pulled Michigan within six points less than two minutes into the second half, but the Wolverines would get no closer. Allick scored six and Tominaga hit a 3-pointer in a 16-2 run as Nebraska pushed its lead to 70-50 with 13:37 left to play.

The Cornhuskers' previous best season was 1990-91 when they won 26 games. The Cornhuskers advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed before losing in the first round to 14th-seeded Xavier 89-84. Nebraska has never won a game in seven appearances in the event.

——-

Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ------ AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball