No. 7 Nebraska’s Braden Frager sprains his left ankle, misses second half against Washington

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska guard Braden Frager sprained his left ankle in the first half against Washington on Wednesday night and was on the bench in a walking boot in the second half.

Coach Fred Hoiberg said Frager would be evaluated on Thursday. His status was uncertain for Saturday’s game at Minnesota.

Frager, the Cornhuskers’ second-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game, came down awkwardly on his foot during a scramble for the ball under the basket.

“You feel for someone who puts so much time into his craft,” Hoiberg said. “To see him go down like that was tough and see and the emotion that came out. He has a passion for the game and plays with a swagger, and we feel for him but we’ll get through it.”

Frager, who plays 25 minutes per game off the bench, has been one of the breakout stars as the Huskers have gotten off to an 19-0 start and extended their win streak to 23 games with a 76-66 victory over the Huskies.

Frager had two of his best performances in the Huskers’ previous two games, scoring 20 points in a win over Northwestern and a career-high 23 with seven 3-pointers against Oregon.

“Braden has given us a lot this season on both ends of the floor and everybody has to be ready to step up in his absence,” Hoiberg said.

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