Huskers Cruise Past Golden Lions

Lincoln -- A record-setting defensive performance propelled the Nebraska men's basketball team to a 97-40 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday in front of 6,645 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska's 57-point margin was the largest in Devaney Center history, topping the 52-point margin of victory (98-46) against Southwest Missouri State in 1982-83. It was also the second-largest margin of victory in the program's history, trailing only the 82-8 victory over Crete in 1906-07.

The opening minutes of the contest were not as successful as the final score indicated. Nebraska hit just six of its first 17 attempts from the floor before coming on strong late in the half. Nebraska finished the opening period hitting 45.9 percent from the field, while holding UAPB to just 38.5 percent.

Senior Marcus Neal Jr. got the Huskers rolling.

After UAPB pulled within two, 17-15, the Annapolis, Md. native hit three straight three-pointers and the Huskers never looked back. It jump started the Huskers, who rolled to 27 unanswered points. NU held the Goldent Lions without a point for more than seven minutes, from 9:42 to the 2:10 mark before intermission. Freshman Joe McCray added eight points in the span of one minute to put NU ahead 44-15 before William Byrd's jumper ended the run.

McCray led the Huskers with 23 points in 22 minutes off the bench. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native hit 9-of-17 from the floor, but was just 3-of-11 outside the arc. He added six boards and three steals. McCray's scoring effort is believed to be the most points scored by a freshman in his debut in school history.

McCray was not the only freshman off the bench to get noticed. Center Aleks Maric made his debut a remarkable one with a double-double by gaining 12 points and 14 rebounds. Maric hit 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from the charity stripe. Maric's effort on the glass helped NU gain a Collier-era record 55 boards, including 24 offensive. It was second straight season the Huskers had a double-double in the opener, as John Turek had 24 points and 13 rebounds last year against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Junior Jason Dourisseau also got into the act as he added 17 points and a career-high eight boards while Turek had eight points, seven boards and three blocks.

In the second frame, Nebraska hit 19-of-23 from inside the arc and finished the period hitting 64.5 percent overall. The Huskers extended their 24-point halftime margin by outscoring the Golden Lions 51-18 in the final period. UAPB hit just 26.9 percent in the second frame and was outrebounded 25-7.  

Nebraska returns to action Saturday, Nov. 27, when the Huskers play host to Texas Southern at the Devaney Center. Tip off is set for 1:05 p.m. and the game can be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com.