Wisconsin transfer guard Connor Essegian powered Nebraska to a 74-63 road win over No. 14 Creighton on Friday.
The former Badger contributed 15 points and two rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor and 1-of-2 from three.
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Those bench points provided a critical boost for Fred Hoiberg’s team in its big rivalry victory. Essegian led several key scoring runs, highlighted by a solo 6-1 run midway through the second half to extend the team’s lead to 14 points.
Only two Nebraska players finished with more points than Essegian: starters Juwan Gray (16 points on 6-of-13 shooting) and Brice Williams (16 points on 4-of-12 shooting). No one on the floor matched his combination of production and efficiency.
NEBRASKA KNOCKS OFF NO. 14 CREIGHTON 🫣
The Huskers put up a big time performance against their in-state rivals 👏 pic.twitter.com/Nqr2MJ4MNC
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 23, 2024
The sharpshooter has played a steady role for the Cornhuskers during their 4-1 start to the 2024-25 season. His per-game averages include 19.2 minutes, 10.4 points and 2.6 rebounds on 44% shooting and 36.4% from 3.
Essegian transferred to Nebraska after two seasons with the Badgers. He played a big role as a freshman in 2022-23, averaging 27.4 minutes and 11.7 points per game. His role diminished as a sophomore in 2023-24 as Greg Gard reworked the roster, those numbers falling to 7.3 minutes and 3.2 points per game, respectively.
The Wisconsin transfer appears to have found a strong destination at Nebraska. The Hoosiers are amid a program-great run under Hoiberg. That began with a 23-11 record and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023-24 and has continued into 2024-25.
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