Western Illinois Leathernecks at Nebraska Cornhuskers
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Massner, Barisic rally Western Illinois past Nebraska 75-74
The Leathernecks had a two-point lead after George Dixon's layup with 3:48 left, but Alonzo Verge Jr. hit a free throw and a layup, and Trey McGowens capped the 5-0 spurt with a dunk to give Nebraska a 72-69 lead with 2:07 to play.
C.J. Wilcher hit 1 of 2 free throws to push the lead to four before Massner buried a 3-pointer to get Western Illinois within 73-72 with 20 seconds remaining. Verge sank 1 of 2 free throws before Barisic hit the game-winner with 7 seconds left.
Massner sank 4 of 8 from 3-point range and snagged eight rebounds for the Leathernecks. Barisic finished with 12 points and nine boards, while Will Carius scored 11.
Verge topped the Cornhuskers with 26 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Freshman Bryce McGowens hit 10 of 12 free throws and scored 25 points.
Nebraska sank 23 of 31 free throws on the night, but made just 2 of 6 in the final 55 seconds. Western Illinois made 6 of 14 foul shots.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 75 - 74 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 75 - 74 |
| 2nd 0:04 | JJ Flores Defensive Rebound. | 75 - 74 |
| 2nd 0:05 | Alonzo Verge Jr. missed Layup. | 75 - 74 |
| 2nd 0:06 | Nebraska Timeout | 75 - 74 |
Statistics
 WIU |
 NEB |
|
|---|---|---|
| 30-77 | FG | 23-59 |
| 39 | Field Goal % | 39 |
| 9-33 | 3PT | 5-20 |
| 27 | Three Point % | 25 |
| 6-14 | FT | 23-31 |
| 43 | Free Throw % | 74 |
| 57 | Rebounds | 37 |
| 23 | Offensive Rebounds | 7 |
| 34 | Defensive Rebounds | 30 |
| 11 | Assists | 6 |
| 7 | Steals | 8 |
| 1 | Blocks | 3 |
| 18 | Turnovers | 12 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 18 | Total Turnovers | 12 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 16 | Points Off Turnovers | 21 |
| 2 | Fast Break Points | 13 |
| 42 | Points in Paint | 30 |
| 25 | Fouls | 18 |
| 7 | Largest Lead | 7 |
Game Information
Location: Lincoln, NE
Attendance: 15,312 | Capacity:
2025-26 Ohio Valley Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State | 15-5 | - | 23-9 |
| Morehead State | 15-5 | - | 20-13 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 14-6 | 1 | 20-13 |
| UT Martin | 13-7 | 2 | 22-11 |
| SIU Edwardsville | 12-8 | 3 | 19-13 |
| Lindenwood | 11-9 | 4 | 18-15 |
| Little Rock | 9-11 | 6 | 12-20 |
| Tennessee Tech | 8-12 | 7 | 13-18 |
| Eastern Illinois | 8-12 | 7 | 13-20 |
| Southern Indiana | 4-16 | 11 | 7-23 |
| Western Illinois | 1-19 | 14 | 5-26 |
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 19-1 | - | 30-2 |
| Nebraska | 15-5 | 4 | 26-6 |
| Michigan State | 15-5 | 4 | 25-7 |
| Illinois | 15-5 | 4 | 24-8 |
| Wisconsin | 14-6 | 5 | 24-9 |
| Purdue | 13-7 | 6 | 25-8 |
| UCLA | 13-7 | 6 | 23-10 |
| Ohio State | 12-8 | 7 | 21-12 |
| Iowa | 10-10 | 9 | 21-12 |
| Indiana | 9-11 | 10 | 18-14 |
| Minnesota | 8-12 | 11 | 15-17 |
| USC | 7-13 | 12 | 18-14 |
| Washington | 7-13 | 12 | 16-17 |
| Rutgers | 6-14 | 13 | 14-19 |
| Northwestern | 5-15 | 14 | 15-19 |
| Oregon | 5-15 | 14 | 12-20 |
| Maryland | 4-16 | 15 | 12-21 |
| Penn State | 3-17 | 16 | 12-20 |