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Brice Williams tied the game with a three-pointer at the buzzer to end regulation, but the Huskers suffered a 97-87 setback in overtime at Iowa on Tuesday night.
Nebraska dropped to 12-3 (2-2 B1G) on the season, while the Hawkeyes improved to 11-4 (2-2 B1G).
Williams carried the Huskers, scoring 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting to go with four rebounds, a pair of steals and two assists. Juwan Gary collected a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards, while Rollie Worster chipped in 14 points on six-of-nine shooting from the floor.
Iowa jumped out to a 13-6 lead in the first four minutes after connecting on its first three three-point attempts. The Big Red responded with a three by Berke Buyuktuncel and layups from Gary and Williams to lock the game at 13 with 12 minutes left in the half.
Trailing 26-20 with seven minutes left in the half, the Huskers went on a 14-0 run over the next 5:38 to grab an eight-point advantage. Treys from Connor Essegian and Williams tied it up at 26, while Worster and Andrew Morgan combined for the next eight points to make it a 34-26 game with 1:18 left in the opening half.
A pair of buckets from the Hawkeyes in the final two minutes had Nebraska out front with a 34-31 lead at the half.
The Huskers raced out the gates in the second half with an 18-6 run to take a 52-37 lead with 14:54 left in the game.
Nebraska held a 59-49 lead after a layup by Morgan with 10:53 remaining, but a 15-5 run from the Hawkeyes locked the game at 64 with five minutes to go.
The Hawkeyes led 74-70 late in the game until a three-point jumper by Williams brought the Huskers within 74-73 with 1:04 remaining.
A pair of free throws grew the lead to 76-73 for Iowa with five seconds left. With three seconds remaining, Williams caught the inbounds pass at midcourt, took one dribble and drilled the game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime tied at 76.
The Hawkeyes scored the first nine points of the extra period to take an 85-76 lead with 3:04 to go. Worster converted one-of-two free throws to bring the Huskers within six with 1:18 to play, but the Hawkeyes shut down any chance of a rally from the Big Red to hold on for a 97-87 win on Tuesday.
Nebraska returns to the court this weekend, as the Huskers venture to West Lafayette, Ind., for a matchup on the road at No. 20 Purdue on Saturday. Tip-off between the Big Red and Boilermakers is set for 11 a.m. CT on BTN, while fans can listen to Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the Huskers Radio Network.