Guard Glynn Watson Jr. scored 23 points, 17 of them in the first half, as Nebraska got 43 points from its starting backcourt and outlasted Sacramento State 83-61 Sunday in the season opener for both teams at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.

The Cornhuskers led by just three points at halftime but pulled away with a 15-5 run during a six-minute stretch of the second half. Nebraska shot 57.7 percent in the second half, 47.7 percent overall.

Watson hit 9 of 14 shots from the floor and all three of his free throws. Guard Tai Webster added 20 points, 18 of them after halftime for Nebraska, which also received 15 points from Ed Morrow and 14 from Jack McVeigh.

Sacramento State got 14 points and 10 rebounds from Nick Hornsby and 12 points from forward Justin Strings. However, the Hornets were just 6 of 21 from 3-point range, and they hit only two of their 12 long-range shots in the second half.

The teams battled through a mostly even first half, although the Cornhuskers never trailed. A jumper by Eric Stuteville with 26 seconds remaining in the half brought the Hornets within 36-33 at intermission.

Watson led all scorers with 17 points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting that including makes on both his attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.

Sacramento State, which outshot the Cornhuskers 48 percent to 41 percent in the first 20 minutes, was led in the half by Hornsby with nine points and Stuteville with seven. The Hornets trailed by as many as seven points in the first half.

The visitors wound up making 41.5 percent of their field-goal attempts.