Huskers Run Past North Carolina A&T

Lincoln --- Joe McCray scored 18 of his game-high 20 points after the intermission and Nebraska rolled to a 71-49 victory in front of 5,611 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Saturday.  McCray became just the fourth freshman in Nebraska history to record at least three 20-point contests in his first season.

McCray hit six three-pointers after the intermission, as the Huskers hit 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) from beyond the arc after the break. He now has 20 treys on the season, tying Tyronn Lue for eighth place on the Nebraska freshman three-point chart.

McCray's long-range accuracy propelled the Huskers to a 30-8 run midway through the second frame as the Huskers snapped a two-game losing streak. Nebraska improved to 4-3 with the victory while North Carolina A&T fell to 1-9 on the season, including 0-8 on the road.

Both teams came out flat in the opening minutes of the game before the Huskers used a quick 8-0 run in less than one minute to forge a 12-2 lead with 12:26 to play before intermission. Wes Wilkinson completed a three-point play to start the run and Marcus Neal Jr. added a three-pointer. John Turek, who earned his undergraduate degree in just 3 1/2 years on Saturday, capped the run with a jumper to put the Huskers up by 10.

Nebraska extended its lead to 13 points, 22-9, on Aleks Maric's dunk with 7:27 remaining. From there, the Huskers went cold as they hit just four free throws and no field goals over the final seven minutes of the half. North Carolina A&T used NU's scoring drought to its advantage as the Aggies went on a 16-4 run to end the period down by just one point, 26-25. Nebraska hit just 34.5 percent from the floor in the opening half.

The Huskers were inspired after the break as they hit 59.3 percent (16-of-27) from the floor, including 8-of-14 from long range. Nebraska also had 11 assists in the second period and finished with a season-high 18 assists against just 11 turnovers, one off their season low.

Jason Dourisseau showed the first signs of life in the second period as he drove up the left side of the baseline for a two-handed dunk for a 28-25 lead and, after Sean Booker's three-pointer tied it at 28-all, Dourisseau came back with a jumper to put the Huskers in the lead for good. McCray then started to heat up as his first trey gave Nebraska a 33-28 advantage with 16:46 to play. After a Wilkinson jumper and Dourisseau dunk gave the Huskers a 37-30 lead, McCray hit his next five three-point attempts to help the Huskers to a 63-38 lead with 5:16 to play.

Marcus Neal Jr. also got into the action as he hit a pair of three-pointers and had eight points in the second half. Neal finished with 13 points and added a career-high six assists against just one turnover. Wilkinson added eight points and five rebounds while Dourisseau had nine points and four rebounds.

The Huskers finished the game hitting 46.4 percent from the floor, Nebraska's best shooting night since the season opener. NU held a 37-32 advantage on the glass.

Nebraska returns to the court on Tuesday, Dec. 21 when it makes its second road trek of the season. NU plays against Marquette in the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Tip off is at 8 p.m. and the game will be seen in Nebraska on FSN Midwest and on DirecTV and Dish Network.