Saint Louis rallies past Nebraska 79-74

Saint Louis defeated Nebraska 79-74 in a men's basketball exhibition on Oct. 9, 2026, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln before more than 14,000 fans. Nebraska led 39-37 at halftime on Jacob Lanier's buzzer-beating 3-pointer and went up 44-39 early in the second half. Saint Louis answered with an 8-0 run to lead 47-44 and never trailed again, reaching 76-66 with 2:30 left before Nebraska cut the margin to four in the final minute. Amari McCottry and Kellen Thames scored 11 apiece for Saint Louis; McCottry was 5-of-5 per Saint Louis sources, while one outlet listed him with 10 points and seven rebounds. Jacob Lanier led Nebraska with 15 points. Cale Jacobsen had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Leo Curtis scored nine on 4-of-4 shooting. Saint Louis shot 50 percent after halftime, finished 26-of-59 with 12 threes, and turned 21 Nebraska turnovers into a 21-11 points-off-turnovers edge. Coach Fred Hoiberg said the game was meant to test lineups and young players and that Saint Louis out-toughed Nebraska. He called it perfect preparation for physical play the Huskers will see all season. An unnamed Nebraska representative said the team must learn to handle that pressure year-round. Nebraska next faces BYU; Saint Louis has a closed Iowa scrimmage and hosts Bradley on Oct. 23.