SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Mikey Lewis hit two free throws with five seconds left to give Saint Mary’s a three-point lead, Brice Williams missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer to tie and the Gaels earned a 77-74 win over Nebraska in a neutral-site game played in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Sunday afternoon.
Lewis hit a jumper and knocked down a 3 with 4:13 left to give Saint Mary’s a double-digit lead, 73-63, but the Cornhuskers clawed back behind four free throws from Williams, a tip-in and 1 of 2 free throws by Berke Buyuktuncel, and a Rollie Worster layup to make it 75-72 with under a minute left. Williams hit two free throws with 6 seconds left to get within one.
Lewis led Saint Mary’s (4-0) with 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals off the bench. Paulius Murauskas had 16 points, six boards and three assists and Luke Barrett added 15 -points. Mitchell Saxen turned in a double-double with a dozen points and a dozen rebounds, leaving him just one point shy of becoming the 40th player to reach 1,000 in his Saint Mary’s career. The Gaels shot 42.6% from the field (26 of 61), including 11 of 23 from beyond the arc, but were only 14 of 25 from the free-throw line.
Nebraska (3-1) converted 25 of 29 free-throw attempts to fuel its comeback attempt. Williams was 11 for 11 from the line and scored a season-high 28 points. Buyuktuncel was 5 of 6 from the line and finished with 15 points with three steals and three blocked shots. Worster and Andrew Morgan each added 10 points.
The Gaels return home for a pair of games, beginning with Stanislaus State on Wednesday.
Nebraska travels to Omaha to take on in-state rival Creighton on Friday.