For 20 minutes, the Nebraska Cornhuskers played like a team eager to stay for a while in Indianapolis; then halftime hit, and for the next 20 minutes they played like the 14 seed in the 14-team Big Ten Tournament, giving away a 14-point halftime advantage in a season-ending 72-66 loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions on Wednesday night.
Junior Trey McGowens led three Huskers in double figures with 13 points. The two seniors, Thorir Thorbjarnarson and Kobe Webster, added 12 apiece in what may be their final college game.
Early on, Nebraska (7-20) defended themselves into a 15-point lead at 35-20 with 2:14 remaining in the first half, turning over Penn State (11-13) ten times while committing only five fouls before the break.