Florence Sparks Win Over Pittsburgh

Lincoln -- Larry Florence scored eight of his game-high 18 points in a 24-6 run late in the second half as the Huskers evened their record at 4-4 on the season with a 69-57 win over Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

With under 10 minutes remaining, a pair of Florence dunks triggered the spurt as Nebraska rebounded from an 89-72 loss at Creighton on Thursday. Florence was one of three Huskers in double figures, finishing with 18 points on 8of-14 shooting from the floor.

Juniors Danny Walker and Steffon Bradford also finished in double figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively. The Husker also received a standout effort from guard Cookie Belcher, who finished with a career-high 10 assists and nine rebounds in 30 minutes of action.

The Huskers jumped out quickly, building a 10-point lead in the first 10 minutes and took a 30-23 halftime lead.

Nebraska led 37-31 before the Panthers (5-2) used a 8-2 run, paced by 3-pointer by Jeremy Holmes and John Finnigan, to tied the score at 39-all after a Ricardo Greer basket. Pittsburgh took its only lead of the game, at 44-42, on a Finnigan 3-pointer with 10:28 remaining before the Huskers used the 24-6 spurt to regain control of the contest.

The Huskers return to action next Saturday, Dec. 19, when Nebraska travels to Las Vegas to meet No. 2 Arizona in the Las Vegas Showdown. The game will be televised on ESPN2 beginning at 8:30 p.m.