Nebraska Tops Northwestern 77-58, Reaches 18-0

EVANSTON, Ill. No. 8 Nebraska extended its perfect season with a 77-58 victory over Northwestern on Saturday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena, improving to 18-0 overall and 7-0 in the Big Ten Conference.

Braden Frager and Pryce Sandfort led the Cornhuskers with 20 points each, while Sam Hoiberg contributed 12 points and seven rebounds. The win marked the best start in program history for Nebraska, which entered the game unbeaten alongside Purdue as the only Big Ten teams without a conference loss. The Cornhuskers capitalized on Northwestern's miscues, converting 11 turnovers into 12 points and maintaining control after a strong first half.

Nebraska built a 34-29 halftime lead and quickly expanded it to 41-32 early in the second half, capped by Hoiberg's 3-pointer at the end of a 7-0 run. The Wildcats narrowed the gap to 46-41 moments later, but Nebraska responded with a decisive 17-3 spurt that sealed the rout. The Cornhuskers shot efficiently and limited Northwestern's scoring opportunities, holding the hosts to just seven points from star forward Nick Martinelli after the break.

Martinelli, who entered the day as the nation's second-leading scorer at 23.7 points per game, finished...