Juwan Gary scored a season-high 19 points and dished out a career-high five assists as Nebraska defeated FDU 86-60 on Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Gary led three Huskers in double figures with his 19-point night and passed three in double figures. It was NU’s depth that shone in the victory. NU got 29 points off the bench, including eight from Gavin Griffiths and Ahron Ulis, as NU’s bench held a 29-5 lead in the win.

Berke Büyüktuncel joined Gary in double figures with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Brice Williams had 10 points, including five straight in a 13-2 Husker run after FDU pulled within 11 points with just over 11 minutes played. had come.

Nebraska was opportunistic, turning 17 Knight turnovers into 28 points, while NU held FDU to 60 points, nearly 25 points below the season average.

Terrence Brown led the Knights (1-3) with a game-high 23 points.

The Huskers took control of the final twelve minutes of the half, turning a one-point halftime lead into a 45-25 advantage. Nebraska, which struggled on the floor early, got going when Gary’s jumper sparked a 10-0 run that pushed the lead to 21-10 after a basket by Ulis.

FDU stayed within striking distance and pulled within 32-21 after Dylan Jones’ jumper with 5:26 left in the half before a basket from Rollie Worster and a 3-pointer from Connor Essegian extended the lead to 37-21. From then on, it was the Husker bench that provided the spark, as Sam Hoiberg and Cale Jacobsen – seeing his first action of the year – helped hold FDU to one field goal in the final five minutes of the half, while Nebraska half ended with an 8-2 spurt to take a 45-25 lead into the break.

The Knights opened the second half on a 6-0 run, pulling within 14 in the first 1:25 of the half. FDU continued to trail Brown, who had 19 second-half points, and pulled within 58-49 after Ahmed Barba-Bay knocked in a 3-pointer with 11:02 remaining.

Williams took over from there and accounted for seven consecutive Husker points over the next 65 seconds to give the hosts some breathing room. The senior had a 3-point play on the inbounds after the media timeout and converted a pair of free throws on the next possession before ending the run with a steal and finding Griffiths for a layup that put NU a cushion of 16 earned points. That was part of a 13-2 run that cut the lead to 20 points with 5:26 remaining, putting the game out of reach.

The Huskers will hit the road for the first time this season as they travel to Sioux Falls, SD, for a game against Saint Mary’s on Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for noon (central) and a handful of tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com