By Huskers.com
Members of the Nebraska men’s basketball team have an easy answer if someone asks them “how did you spend your summer vacation?” The answer is “We went to Spain.”
NCAA programs are allowed to take foreign trips once every four years and the Huskers have followed their 2019 visit to Italy with a 2-week trip to Spain that saw them leave last Friday, July 28.
The Huskers also went to Spain in 2015. This time, the team is visiting Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona – playing once in each city against local teams. The Huskers’ opener in Madrid was originally scheduled for Sunday, but was pushed back a day.
Nebraska won, but just barely
Brice Williams had a game-high 28 points to lead five players in double figures as Nebraska rallied for an 89-84 overtime win over the Madrid All-Stars Monday evening.
Williams hit 10-of-14 shots from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers, to lead a short-handed attack for the Huskers, who shot 46 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers in the win.
C.J. Wilcher added 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Jamarques Lawrence added 14 points.
NU also got major contributions from redshirt freshman Cale Jacobsen, who had 13 points, nine rebounds and three steals and true freshman Eli Rice, who finished with 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Williams and redshirt freshman Ramel Lloyd Jr. topped NU with 4 assists apiece
It’s a young team with little experience playing together with 5 of the 9 players who dressed Monday still looking to play in their first regular-season game at NU.
Nebraska trailed 74-62 early in the fourth quarter before mounting a 17-2 run to regain the lead. A Rice 3-pointer ignited a 7-0 spurt that pulled NU within 74-69 with 5:01 remaining. NU continued to battle and eventually took a 79-76 lead with 1:44 remaining.
The Huskers led 81-78 with 1:12 left in regulation, but Madrid scored five straight to take an 82-81 lead on a basket Guillermo Mulero with 3.0 seconds left. NU took the inbounds at halfcourt and Lawrence found Jacobsen, who was fouled with 2.4 seconds remaining. The redshirt freshman banked in the first free throw but missed the second to send the game to OT.
Jacobsen and Williams took over in the extra period, combining for all seven Husker points, as Nebraska did not allow a field goal in the five-minute overtime. NU took the lead for good on a Williams basket after NU, which was outrebounded 51-44, kept the possession alive with two offensive rebounds.
Jacobsen drew a charge with 1:49 left and then gave NU an 87-82 lead with a 3-pointer on the subsequent possession.
The Huskers, who don’t have a player taller than 6-foot-7 for this trip, forced 20 turnovers and held Madrid to 36 percent shooting. Madrid went 20-of-24 from the line to stay in the game.
The Huskers play the Valencia All-Stars today and the Barcelona All-Stars on Saturday.
The trip to Spain includes lots of time for sightseeing. In Madrid, they visited the Royal Palace, the largest royal palace in Europe, and made a trip to Toledo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back more than 2,000 years.
In Valencia, the team visited the Oceanogrà fic València, the largest aquarium in Europe, then will enjoy the beach tomorrow.
The trip wraps up in Barcelona, where the team will visit La Sagrada Familia, one of the largest unfinished churches in the world. Construction began in 1882 and continues today. Following
Saturday’s final game, the Huskers will visit Spotify Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona before leaving for Lincoln on Sunday.