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University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

David Simental
Corbey R. Dorsey
71
Winner Northeastern St. NE 12-11,7-10 Mid-America Intercollegiate
63
Neb.-Kearney UNK 9-14,5-12 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Northeastern St. NE
12-11,7-10 Mid-America Intercollegiate
71
Final
63
Neb.-Kearney UNK
9-14,5-12 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northeastern St. NE 36 35 71
Neb.-Kearney UNK 38 25 63

Next Game:

Rogers State

2/12/2022 | 4 p.m.

The River 93.1/106.9 KRVN FM

Next Game

Full Schedule
Feb. 12 (Sat) / 4 p.m.
 Rogers State
History

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

'Hawks Use Late Run to Catch the Lopers

Kearney, Neb. – The Northeastern State RiverHawks closed on a 14-2 run to get past Nebraska-Kearney, 71-63, Thursday night at the Health & Sports Center.

NSU (12-11, 7-10) takes the season series from UNK (9-14, 5-12) by a combined 15 points and puts a dent into the Lopers MIAA Tournament hopes. The Blue & Gold hosts Rogers State (14-9, 8-9) Saturday afternoon in another effort to move up the league standings. Darrian Nebeker

"It's a tough one because for 35 minutes I thought we played well enough to win. But they had a better last five minutes than we did," said Loper head coach Kevin Lofton. ""Our kids competed well and at times we looked really good."

UNK saw a 10-point second half lead evaporate over a 10-minute period but bounced back to lead 61-57 with four to play. After a timeout, point guard David Simental (Pueblo West, Colo.) tipped an NSU pass and was corralling the loose ball when he was hit by a RiverHawk. Instead of a foul, the play led to another loose ball and an open triple for the visitors. They hit two more in a minute span to suddenly lead 66-63 by the 1:39 mark. Simental tried to tie things up for a 10th time but the shot found iron and NSU grabbed the rebound and hit the subsequent free throws to extend the lead. 

"You've got to give them a little bit of credit for what went on. They hit some huge shots to cut into our lead and even after we went back-and-forth for a couple of possessions, when they got open they made the big shot," said Lofton.

The Lopers shot 58 percent (15 of 26) in the first half but cooled to 42 percent (11 of 26) over the final 20 minutes. After grabbing a 46-36 lead by the 16-minute mark, UNK didn't get to 56 points until there was 5:24 left. One of the nation's top three-point shooting squads, the Lopers went 3 of 12 from downtown in the second half.

A taller NSU squad managed 12 second chance points, 10 coming in the first half, and a plus 11 margin on the glass. They finished at 51 percent (28 of 55) shooting with three starters reaching double digits. That trio consisted of post Emeka Obukwelu (18) and guards Dillon Bailey (17) and Tylor Arnold (18). Bailey and Arnold combined to go 7 of 10 from behind the arc.

"It's pick your poison. We were trying to limit the two's the best we could. At a certain point they just spread the floor and started driving the ball which has given us trouble," said Lofton. "So, we were trying to pack it in tight to stop those baskets. That's when their shooters got loose and, more often than not, those threes came after 50-50 balls or after an offensive rebound was kicked out."

UNK saw redshirt junior guard Parker Badding (Carroll, Ia.) score a game-high 21 thanks to 8 of 11 (4 of 7 3's) shooting. Tallying 17 in the first half, he had a made three waved off in the first half as it came just after the shot clock expired. This marks his sixth straight double-digit effort. Next, Simental went all 40 minutes and supplied 16 points and four fouls drawn with senior forward Darrian Nebeker (West Jordan, Utah) at 15 points, five boards and five dimes. Finally, the teams combined to shoot just 11 free throws (10 makes).

"We had some good looks down the stretch but just kind of stalled out. We were getting opportunities but weren't able to convert," said Lofton. "That was the most physical game we've had all year. They let a lot of things go on. You have to play above it and through it."

Rogers lost at Fort Hays State tonight, 62-47.
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Parker Badding

#12 Parker Badding

G
6' 2"
Sophomore
Darrian Nebeker

#5 Darrian Nebeker

F
6' 6"
Senior
David Simental

#10 David Simental

G
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

Parker Badding

#12 Parker Badding

6' 2"
Sophomore
G
Darrian Nebeker

#5 Darrian Nebeker

6' 6"
Senior
F
David Simental

#10 David Simental

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
G