Lincoln - Nicole Kubik scored 25 of her career-high 36 points in the first half as No. 24 Nebraska snapped a two-game losing streak with an82-62 victory over No. 23 Kansas in front of 5,762 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Saturday evening.
In a matchup between two of the best players in the Big 12, Kubik and KU's Lynn Pride, the first half was all Kubik, as the junior from Cambridge, Neb., scored 25 of her 36 points and had seven of her season high eight rebounds before the intermission. Kubik also finished with six assists and eight steals in 31 minutes.
"Nicole Kubik really stood out tonight," Coach Paul Sanderford said. "She broke down their defense in the first half and that helped us gain control of the game.
"I am really pleased with the win. It was a tough ball game and it was a game we needed to win. The kids just gutted it up and we needed this in the worse kind of way."
Pride, a preseason All-American and preseason Big 12 Player of the Year was a non-factor in the first half, scoring just three points, on 1-of-7 shooting from the floor, as Nebraska, 14-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12, built a 42-24 halftime advantage.
Kubik scored 13 of her 25 first-half points in a 19-4 Nebraska run, capping the spurt with her second 3-pointer of the ballgame to give NU a 35-19 advantage. Nebraska built a 42-24 halftime lead.
Kansas, which had won nine of its last 10 contests entering tonight, falls to 13-5 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12.
Kubik scored 19 of the Huskers' first 24 points, including her 1,000-career point on a free throw at the 13:07 mark, becoming just the 18th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. She also became just the 12th player in school history to accomplish the feat in three seasons or less.
After intermission, the Jayhawks, behind Pride began to mount a comeback. Pride scored KU's first seven points of the half to cut NU's lead to 48-31, but an 11-0 NU run ended any thoughts of an upset as Nebraska's lead fluctuated between 20 and 30 points for much of the second half.
Pride finished with 19 points, on 6-of-18 shooting, and five rebounds before fouling out with 1:06 remaining.
The Huskers return to action next Saturday, Jan. 23, when they travel to Boulder, Colo., to face the Buffaloes beginning at 8 p.m. (Central).
Nebraska Notes:
* The win extends Nebraska's home-court winning streak to25 games, the fourth-longest streak in the nation, and four off the school record of 29 set between 1986 and 1989. KU is the fourth ranked opponent to fall during the streak.
* Tonight's crowd of 5,762 is a season high, betting the crowd of 4,186 against Arizona in the championship game of the CableVision Classic on Nov. 16.
* The win was the first time since the 1988 season that Nebraska defeated KU in consecutive meetings. (Jan 23 - 80-64 in Lawrence; Feb. 17 - 76-72 in Lincoln)
* The 20-point margin of victory is the largest in the 53-meeting series history, bettering Nebraska's 16-point win (80-64 in Lawrence) during the 1987-88 season.
* Kubik's free throws made (16) and attempted (18) are both single-game school records. Pyra Aarden held the previous record for most free throw attempts with 17, while four players held the NU record for most free throws made with 14, most recently by Aarden against Missouri on Feb. 19, 1995.
* Kubik's 36 points is the eighth-best single game total, while her eight steals ties for the seventh-best total in school history.