No. 13 Nebraska remains unbeaten with 58-56 win over No. 9 Spartans, extends streak to 18 games
AP
Jan 02, 2026
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Rienk Mast hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:51 left and finished with 19 points to lead No. 13 Nebraska Cornhuskers to a 58-56 victory over No. 9 Michigan State on Friday night.
Fans rushed the court at the final buzzer as the Cornhuskers (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten) won their 18th straight game since last season, the longest streak in the nation.
It was the lowest-scoring game of the season for both teams in what was the first ranked vs. ranked matchup in Lincoln since 1991. The game was hyped as a measuring stick for Nebraska, the only power-conference team to have never won an NCAA Tournament game. The Huskers met the moment.
What started as a slog quickly turned into a battle of bigs shooting 3-pointers. The 6-foot-10 Mast made five of his first seven from distance and finished 6 of 13. Michigan State's 6-10 Jaxon Kohler made a career-high five on six attempts and finished with 19 points.
Pryce Sandfort had 13 points and Jamarques Lawrence added 12 for the Huskers. Jeremy Fears Jr. had 14 for the Spartans and Kur Teng, who started in place of Divine Ugochukwu (illness), added 12.
Michigan State was just 6 of 24 from the field in the second half and its 19 turnovers were its most since it committed the same number against Nebraska four years ago.
Mast's last 3 was his only field goal of the second half and gave the Huskers the lead for good.
The Spartans had a chance to tie when Carson Cooper was fouled with 0.7 seconds left. But his first free throw bounced off the rim, and the Huskers came up with the rebound when he intentionally missed the second.
The Huskers are among six undefeated teams in Division I.
Michigan State: Hosts No. 24 Southern California on Monday.
Nebraska: Visits Ohio State on Monday.
---
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
1st Half
MIST
Spartans
33
NEB
Cornhuskers
33
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
(Spartans gains possession)
19:51
Carson Cooper misses two point jump shot
19:49
Rienk Mast defensive rebound
19:30
Jamarques Lawrence misses three point jump shot
19:28
Jaxon Kohler defensive rebound
18:58
Jeremy Fears Jr. misses three point jump shot
18:56
Carson Cooper offensive rebound
18:43
Kur Teng misses three point jump shot
18:41
Pryce Sandfort defensive rebound
18:39
Coen Carr personal foul
18:31
Rienk Mast misses three point jump shot
18:29
Jaxon Kohler defensive rebound
18:24
Pryce Sandfort personal foul (Coen Carr draws the foul)
18:07
Carson Cooper misses two point jump shot
18:05
Berke Büyüktuncel defensive rebound
17:50
+3
Pryce Sandfort makes three point jump shot (Rienk Mast assists)
0-3
17:27
Coen Carr turnover (traveling)
17:17
Pryce Sandfort misses two point jump shot
17:15
Carson Cooper defensive rebound
17:06
Kur Teng misses two point jump shot
17:04
Carson Cooper offensive rebound
17:00
+3
Kur Teng makes three point jump shot (Carson Cooper assists)
3-3
16:42
Pryce Sandfort misses two point jump shot
16:40
Kur Teng defensive rebound
16:22
Kur Teng misses three point jump shot
16:20
Berke Büyüktuncel defensive rebound
16:09
Berke Büyüktuncel misses three point jump shot
16:07
Kur Teng defensive rebound
15:59
Jaxon Kohler offensive foul
15:59
Jaxon Kohler turnover (offensive foul)
15:59
TV timeout
15:46
Rienk Mast misses two point jump shot
15:44
Jordan Scott defensive rebound
15:33
Jaxon Kohler turnover (lost ball)
15:21
+2
Pryce Sandfort makes two point layup (Jamarques Lawrence assists)
3-5
15:12
+3
Jaxon Kohler makes three point jump shot (Jeremy Fears Jr. assists)
6-5
14:58
+2
Jamarques Lawrence makes two point layup (Rienk Mast assists)
6-7
14:46
Trey Fort turnover (traveling)
14:28
Rienk Mast turnover (Trey Fort steals)
14:13
Pryce Sandfort shooting foul (Jeremy Fears Jr. draws the foul)
14:13
+1
Jeremy Fears Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2
7-7
14:13
+1
Jeremy Fears Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2
8-7
14:05
+3
Rienk Mast makes three point jump shot (Jamarques Lawrence assists)
8-10
13:54
Cam Ward turnover (bad pass)
13:45
Rienk Mast offensive foul
13:45
Rienk Mast turnover (offensive foul)
13:26
+2
Carson Cooper makes two point jump shot (Jordan Scott assists)
10-10
13:12
Cale Jacobsen misses three point jump shot
13:10
Cam Ward defensive rebound
12:51
+2
Coen Carr makes two point dunk (Cam Ward assists)
12-10
12:31
Coen Carr blocks Sam Hoiberg's two point jump shot
12:29
Cam Ward defensive rebound
12:28
Sam Hoiberg personal foul
12:16
Coen Carr misses three point jump shot
12:14
Jamarques Lawrence defensive rebound
12:08
Jamarques Lawrence turnover (bad pass)
11:52
Kur Teng misses three point jump shot
11:50
Cale Jacobsen defensive rebound
11:46
TV timeout
11:26
Jared Garcia misses two point jump shot
11:24
Kur Teng defensive rebound
10:55
Kur Teng misses three point jump shot
10:53
Spartans turnover (shot clock violation)
10:27
Berke Büyüktuncel misses two point layup
10:25
Jaxon Kohler defensive rebound
10:08
+2
Jeremy Fears Jr. makes two point jump shot
14-10
9:53
Braden Frager misses three point jump shot
9:51
Carson Cooper defensive rebound
9:45
Jeremy Fears Jr. turnover (Berke Büyüktuncel steals)
9:30
+2
Jamarques Lawrence makes two point layup (Braden Frager assists)
14-12
9:30
Kur Teng shooting foul (Jamarques Lawrence draws the foul)
9:30
+1
Jamarques Lawrence makes regular free throw 1 of 1
14-13
9:07
Trey Fort turnover (Braden Frager steals)
8:45
Rienk Mast turnover (Jaxon Kohler steals)
8:37
Jordan Scott misses three point jump shot
8:35
Berke Büyüktuncel defensive rebound
8:27
Jeremy Fears Jr. personal foul
8:21
+3
Rienk Mast makes three point jump shot
14-16
7:44
+2
Jaxon Kohler makes two point jump shot
16-16
7:32
Rienk Mast misses three point jump shot
7:30
Cornhuskers offensive rebound
7:27
TV timeout
7:10
+3
Rienk Mast makes three point jump shot (Sam Hoiberg assists)
16-19
6:50
+3
Trey Fort makes three point jump shot (Jeremy Fears Jr. assists)
19-19
6:25
+3
Braden Frager makes three point jump shot (Sam Hoiberg assists)
19-22
6:09
+3
Jaxon Kohler makes three point jump shot (Jeremy Fears Jr. assists)
22-22
5:52
Braden Frager misses three point jump shot
5:50
Rienk Mast offensive rebound
5:40
Braden Frager misses two point layup
5:38
Coen Carr defensive rebound
5:19
Berke Büyüktuncel blocks Trey Fort's three point jump shot
5:17
Braden Frager defensive rebound
5:04
Trey Fort personal foul (Braden Frager draws the foul)
4:53
+3
Rienk Mast makes three point jump shot (Braden Frager assists)
22-25
4:24
Coen Carr misses three point jump shot
4:22
Jared Garcia defensive rebound
4:11
+3
Rienk Mast makes three point jump shot (Sam Hoiberg assists)
22-28
4:10
Spartans 30 second timeout
4:10
TV timeout
3:51
Rienk Mast blocks Coen Carr's two point jump shot
3:49
Cornhuskers defensive rebound
3:41
Rienk Mast misses three point jump shot
3:39
Kur Teng defensive rebound
3:32
+3
Jaxon Kohler makes three point jump shot (Coen Carr assists)
25-28
3:03
+3
Jamarques Lawrence makes three point jump shot (Sam Hoiberg assists)
25-31
2:45
+3
Kur Teng makes three point jump shot (Jaxon Kohler assists)
28-31
2:34
Jamarques Lawrence turnover (Cam Ward steals)
2:18
+3
Jaxon Kohler makes three point jump shot (Jeremy Fears Jr. assists)
31-31
1:59
Jamarques Lawrence turnover (Jaxon Kohler steals)
1:53
Jamarques Lawrence shooting foul (Jeremy Fears Jr. draws the foul)
1:53
+1
Jeremy Fears Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2
32-31
1:53
+1
Jeremy Fears Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2
33-31
1:42
Coen Carr shooting foul (Jamarques Lawrence draws the foul)
1:42
+1
Jamarques Lawrence makes regular free throw 1 of 2
33-32
1:42
+1
Jamarques Lawrence makes regular free throw 2 of 2
33-33
1:16
Kur Teng turnover (Braden Frager steals)
1:04
Berke Büyüktuncel misses two point jump shot
1:02
Jordan Scott defensive rebound
1:02
Braden Frager personal foul (Jordan Scott draws the foul)
0:38
Jeremy Fears Jr. misses three point jump shot
0:34
Spartans turnover (shot clock violation)
0:34
Cornhuskers 30 second timeout
0:07
Rienk Mast misses three point jump shot
0:05
Spartans defensive rebound
0:02
Rienk Mast blocks Jeremy Fears Jr.'s two point layup
0:00
Braden Frager defensive rebound
0:00
End of period
2nd Half
MIST
Spartans
23
NEB
Cornhuskers
25
Time
Team
Play
Score
19:30
Rienk Mast misses two point jump shot
19:28
Carson Cooper defensive rebound
19:17
Carson Cooper turnover (bad pass) (Berke Büyüktuncel steals)
