Tigers Topple Huskers

Lincoln -- Kareem Rush scored five of his season-high 30 points in a 17-1 first-half run, as Missouri handed Nebraska only its third home loss of the season in an 87-71 Tiger victory in front of 9,622 at the Devaney Center Wednesday evening.

The Tigers, who improved to 18-7 overall and 7-4 in the Big 12, used the 17-1 spurt to break an early 10-10 tie and build a 16-point advantage, a lead they would not relinquish during the final 30 minutes.

Rush, who was held to a season-low eight points in the first meeting in January, was 12-of- 21 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three-point range, and added seven rebounds. The 6-6 junior led three Tigers in double figures, as Clarence Gilbert and Ricky Paulding added 14 and 13 points, respectively.

The Huskers made a comeback after the Tigers' spurt, using a 13-4 run to close to within 31-23 after John Robinson's jumper with 6:28 remaining in the half. NU closed to within eight on two other occasions, before trailing 50-35 heading into the locker room.

In the second half, NU cut the margin to 55-45 after a Cary Cochran three-pointer, but would get no closer, as Rush's driving lay-up triggered a 10-1 spurt, giving the Tigers a 19-point advantage. NU closed to within 72-59 on another Cochran three-pointer, before MU led by as much as 20 down the stretch.

Wilson Thomas turned in a outstanding performance in his first career start, putting together his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas was one of four Huskers to finish with double figures. Robinson led Nebraska, which dropped to 11-11 overall and 4-7 in conference play, with 20 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals.

The Huskers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 16, when NU travels to Ames, Iowa, to take on the Iowa State Cyclones. Tip-off for the contest, which will be televised locally by Ch. 10/11 (Lincoln) and Ch. 15 (Omaha), will be at 12:45 p.m.

Nebraska postgame notes:
** Tonight’s loss was only Nebraska’s third loss at home this season and ended the Huskers’ three-game home winning streak.

** Junior forward Wilson Thomas made his first career start, posting his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes. He set career bests in all three categories. The double-double was the third of the season by a NU player, joining Brennon Clemmons who recorded double-doubles against Sam Houston State and Iowa State.

** Thomas, who is the starting split end on the Nebraska football team, is the second player in recent years to make a start on the basketball team despite being on a football scholarship. He joined Matt Davison, who started two games in the 1999-2000 campaign.

** Senior guard John Robinson II had 20 points, marking his fourth 20-plus point game of the season, which is a team high. He was held to nine points in the first meeting in Columbia. Robinson also set a career best four steal, topping his previous NU best of three at Oklahoma State and against Texas Tech. He also had a career-high six assists.

** The Huskers’ Thomas was not the only football player starting in tonight’s game, as MU guard Justin Gage started his first contest of the year as well. Gage is a starting wide receiver for the Tiger football team.

** Nebraska saw the Tigers use a 17-1 run in the first half (starting at 15:40) to open a 16-point lead. A Jake Muhleisen three-pointer at 9:51 ended the run.

Nebraska Head Coach Barry Collier:
ON MISSOURI’S OUTSIDE SHOT
“Their attack and focus to shoot the ball from the outside as well as they did was something that we talked about a lot. That was a combination of their penetration and kicking out. They shoot a lot of threes, as we do. They made too many.”

ON MISSOURI’S FAST PACE
“The pace of them scoring - I about blew a gasket on that one. They were on track for 110 after seven or eight minutes in the first half. We slowed them a little bit, but they were also trying to chew up the clock at the end.”

ON FREE THROWS
“We had some chances at the free-throw line and failed miserably there. We just have been up and down so much in that department, it’s hard to figure.”

ON KAREEM RUSH
“I think Kareem Rush really demonstrated why everybody thinks he is such a good player. He was in sync tonight. He attacked really well.”

ON REBOUNDS
“The story on the boards was really big. The one chance we have is to limit them to one shot and their double-figure offensive boards was a big problem.”

ON NEBRASKA’S SHOOTING
“I think John has played well and given us another threat at the perimeter position. We need more of our guys to compliment that. We had a few in double figures, but didn’t shoot well. Missouri had a lot to do with that, but at the same time, I thought we had some open shots that could have created some open shots.”

Junior forward Wilson Thomas
On the game
“I don’t know how to explain it, we just played extremely flat and with a lack of aggression, like coach spoke of. It’s a terrible feeling if you come out and play hard and lose, but it’s a worse feeling if you don’t put up any effort and lose.”

On playing hard every night
“It’s not that it’s frustrating, that’s just the trials of having a young team. It’s the difference between a team in high school and a team in the pros. When you are in the pros, you are expected to play every night. In high school, you have a team go (low) one night and play great the next night. We are in between that, we are a really young team. We just have to learn to take that next step and play every night.”

Missouri Head Coach Quin Snyder:
General Comments
“I’m very pleased with how we competed tonight. We were real efficient on the offensive end. They are a different team to defend. The play well to their strengths. (Brian) Conklin can spread you out and they have three guys who can penetrate well.”

“We said at the half that we need to control the game better. Clarence and Wesley did a better job.”

On his team’s energy:
“It’s something we’ve been working on. Sometimes energy is a decision. Like getting up in the morning.”

On team being out of polls:
“On some level I’ve felt we’ve been out of the polls for a while. But I don’t put a lot of stock in the polls.”

“I sense that our team feels they have a chip on their shoulder. That’s not bad to have. It means you’re hungry. I don’t care if we get ranked again the rest of the year as long as they’re hungry.”

Missouri Forward Kareem Rush:
Overall
“The fans came out chanting ‘eight points’. I told myself that it was not going to happen tonight. With Nebraska’s collapsing defense, I knew I wouldn’t be able to take it to the hoop. When I got the ball, I had to grab it and shoot it. My teammates did me a good job of getting me the ball and setting picks. I need to be that player who does whatever it takes to get the W.”

On the road win:
“It was big, especially the way we played at Baylor. We needed it tonight, and the win saved our season. It really prepared us for the game against Texas.”

Missouri Guard Wesley Stokes
On his performance
“I just tried to get the ball to everybody. I wanted to get people as many touches as possible, and to get Kareem (Rush) into the game early.”

Missouri Guard Clarence Gilbert:
On the shuffling of MU’s starting lineup
“It made the guys hungry. Everyone wants to start. It doesn’t matter who you are.