Nebraska beats Le Moyne 106-64 after 1-for-6 three-point start
The Cornhuskers forced 17 turnovers and took a 58-32 halftime lead despite poor shooting from deep.
By Paula Delgado ·
Nebraska men's basketball defeated Le Moyne 106-64 on Friday to open the 2026-27 season.
The Cornhuskers built a 58-32 lead in the first half.
The team shot 62 percent from the field before the break.
Nebraska forced 17 turnovers in the victory.
Pryce Sandfort scored 20 points for the Huskers.
The First Team All-Big Ten returner led all scorers in the game.
Cale Jacobsen added 16 points along with three rebounds and three assists.
Connor Essegian contributed 13 points off the bench.
Essegian returned from a season-ending injury suffered last year.
Jacob Lanier and Damon Wilkinson each scored 11 points.
The team struggled from beyond the arc in the opening minutes.
Nebraska went 1-for-6 from three-point range early in the game. The two best three-point shooters on the roster combined for 2-of-11 shots from deep. The team finished the game shooting 14-for-30 from beyond the arc. The second half saw an 8-for-16 performance from long range. The Cornhuskers will face their first major test of the season on Saturday. They will play Providence in the Hall of Fame Classic. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. FS1 will carry the broadcast. The Huskers can also be heard on the Husker Radio Network. Providence entered the season with a new head coach. Bryan Hodgson is in his first season at the Friars. He is in his fourth season as a head coach overall. Providence went 15-18 last season. The team finished tied for seventh in the Big East. The Friars did not make the postseason. They missed expectations after finishing below their projected fourth-place seed. The program fired Kim English following the 2025-2026 campaign. The school paid an estimated 6 million dollar buyout. Hodgson previously coached at South Florida and Arkansas State. He led South Florida to a 25-9 record last season. That team won both the American regular season and tournament titles. Hodgson also won coach of the year honors that year. The Friars lost several key players to graduation and transfers. Jaylin Sellers and Jason Edwards graduated. Stefan Vaaks transferred to Illinois. Jamier Jones moved to Missouri. Vaaks averaged nearly 16 points per game and led the team with 91 three-pointers. He also recorded 99 assists. Sellers averaged over 18 points per game. Edwards averaged 16.5 points per game. Jones averaged nearly 12 points and five rebounds per game. The new roster features several transfers. Miles Byrd joined from South Dakota State. Byrd won Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year last season. He is a preseason All-Big East Second Team selection. Malik Mack transferred from Georgetown. He averaged double-digit points for two seasons there. He previously won Ivy League Rookie of the Year at Harvard. Leonardo Marangon is an Italian freshman. He played professionally in Europe for three years. Arrinten Page is a senior transfer from Northwestern. He averaged over 10 points per game last season. Jacob Bannarbie transferred from UNLV. He scored 14 points against Maine in the season opener. Gavin Hightower followed Hodgson from South Florida. Javon Bardwell is a four-star freshman from New York. He scored 12 points in his college debut. Ryan Mela is the primary returner. He averaged 9.9 points and over five rebounds last season. He started 22 of 32 games. This will be the first meeting between the two schools. Nebraska holds a size advantage. The Huskers may utilize a big-man lineup. The Friars plan to play with pace and strong defense. Nebraska must limit turnovers to succeed.
