Huskers Fall to Oklahoma, 63-59

Dallas -- Nebraska opened up a 13-point lead at the intermission, but No. 7 seed Oklahoma rallied by hitting 55 percent from the floor in the second frame to knock off the No. 10 seed Huskers, 63-59, in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament here Thursday. Nebraska fell to 16-12 on the year with the loss while OU improved to 19-9. The Huskers will now wait until Sunday, March 14, to find out their postseason fate.

Nebraska powered its way to a commanding lead in the first half behind the play of junior forward John Turek. Facing a depleted OU interior defense, the Council Bluffs, Iowa, native pounded the Sooners for nine first-half points while helping the Huskers to a 35-22 lead at the break.

Turek scored the first eight points of the game for the Huskers, all in the first five minutes, but was held in check the rest of the way as he finished with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Brian Conklin and Marcus Neal Jr. each finished the opening period with six points, with Conklin hitting 2-of-3 from behind the three-point arc. The Huskers hit 46.2 percent from the field in the first period while a solid defensive effort held the Sooners to just 25 percent from the floor, including 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.

In the second frame, the Sooners came alive behind the play of freshman point guard Drew Lavender, who finished with a game-high 19 points, including 16 in the second half. Lavender scored four of OU's first seven baskets after the intermission.

OU's offensive efficiency and sturdy defense led to a 22-5 run over the first nine minutes of the period. The Sooners, who hit 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from the field after the break, held the Huskers to just one basket over the first 13 minutes of the second frame, until Corey Simms recorded his third field goal of the game with 6:11 remaining.

At that point, Nebraska trailed 55-48, but the Huskers were not done. NU mounted one last rally and pulled within four, 61-57, on a Charles Richardson Jr. basket with 1:45 left to play. Neither team could get a bucket from that point on until Nate Johnson hit a jumper in the lane with 1.9 seconds left for the final margin.

Simms finished with a team-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor while adding four rebounds, including three offensive boards. NU outrebounded the Sooners by a 42-34 margin but the Huskers had 13 turnovers while forcing just six.

Nebraska Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Barry Collier

On the second half Oklahoma run:

“I think a lot of their run was triggered by defense, they put more and more pressure on us to score and try to stay ahead, even if we were trading baskets. (Jason) Dietrick had a great half and really overall had a very good game and that really created problems for us. (Drew) Lavender was much more aggressive and successful in scoring the ball. Turner was a real factor blocking shots and altering shots. They were clearly more aggressive (in the second half) even when they played zone and they played quite a bit of zone in the second half. We didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to get into the middle (of the zone) as much as we should have. ”

 

On the turning point in the game:

“There were so many, you could really start anywhere, they all add up over time. I think how you do something is eventually the result of what you do and how things go. They were just a more aggressive team and we weren’t really able to finish off with getting them in foul trouble early. There wasn’t a single play.”

 

Junior Forward John Turek

 

On the second half:

“It seemed like we were out there attacking, it was just that a lot of our shots weren’t falling. You’ve got to credit Oklahoma for their defense. They were playing really good defense in the second half. They came out (in the second half) and were really aggressive.”

 

Junior Guard Corey Simms

 

On the second half:

“I think Oklahoma played great on the defensive end and we weren’t executing as much as we were in the first half. We got a little bit comfortable with the lead and they were able to get back into the game.”

 

On Oklahoma’s defense:
“The second half, I think they really came out with more intensity. When you’re down, you have to play a lot harder to get back into the game and they did. I don’t think our team responded as well as it should have and that’s the main reason (Oklahoma) got back."