Lincoln – Nebraska rallied to erase two seven-point leads in the second half and led by four with less than a minute remaining, but Luka Barisic's three-pointer with 6.7 seconds remaining lifted Western Illinois to 75-74 win over the Huskers on Tuesday evening's season-opener at Arena.
Nebraska had chance to win in regulation, but missed a shot at the buzzer, allowing the Leathernecks to escape with a one-point win. Verge posted his first career double-double in defeat with 26 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and five assists.
Freshman followed closely behind with 25 points, the most ever by a Husker freshman in his debut, and six boards, but Nebraska shot just 39 percent and was out-rebounded 57-37.