NU Gets Back on Winning Track

Lincoln -- Senior forward Wes Wilkinson scored 20 points and sophomore guard Joe McCray added a season-high 19, as the Nebraska men’s basketball team downed Chicago State, 76-65, Saturday night at the BobDevaneySportsCenter.

                                         

NU (7-2) rebounded from its second loss of the season by shooting a season-high 52.8 percent from the field against the Cougars (1-7). While the Huskers were sizzling from the field, their big men were dominating inside, helping the squad to a 40-16 rebounding edge and 30-14 scoring advantage in the paint.

 

Freshman point guard Marcus Walker chipped in 11 points and four assists for the Huskers, while senior guard Jason Dourisseau pulled down a game-high nine boards.

 

Junior guard Royce Parran led CSU with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including a 6-for-9 effort from 3-point land, while sophomore guard David Holston and junior guard Kevin Jones Jr. added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

 

Leading by only one at halftime, 35-34, Nebraska came out of the locker room with a red-hot hand from the floor. McCray put the Huskers up by four on his third 3-pointer with just over 17 minutes remaining, while NU pushed its lead to six on a Marcus Walker jump shot. CSU’s Kevin Jones Jr. cut the deficit in half with a trey on the Cougars’ ensuing possession.

 

The Huskers then rattled off an eight-point run to build an 11-point lead and take control of the game. Wilkinson started the streak with a 3-pointer to help NU regain its six-point cushion. The lead was extended to eight on a McCray layup at the 12:45 mark, before Wilkinson drilled his third trey of the game.

 

After a pair of foul shots by Jones Jr. ended the run, Marcus Walker sank a jumper and senior point guard Charles Richardson Jr. added a pair of free throws to give Nebraska its then-biggest lead, 59-46, with 10:30 remaining. ChicagoState was held without a field goal for more than four and one-half minutes during the crucial stretch.

 

While CSU eventually cut NU’s lead to eight on Holston’s third 3-pointer at the 3:25 mark, the Huskers’ advantage on the boards proved to be too much for the Cougars. Following a McCray misfire from behind the arc, junior forward B.J. Walker was fouled after grabbing his third offensive board of the night and sank a pair of free throws to push the lead back to 10 with just over two minutes left.

 

Both teams shot lights-out in the first half. The Huskers hit at a 56 percent clip, while the Cougars shot 57 percent, including a 6-for-9 effort from behind the arc. Parran, who did not start the game, was CSU’s main weapon, as he nailed four of five treys for a game-high 17 first-half points. He helped the Cougar bench post a 23-3 first-half advantage in bench points.

 

Nebraska opened the game with the hot touch, scoring on its first three times down the floor, while forcing three turnovers on CSU’s first four possessions.

 

McCray opened the scoring with a long baseline jumper on the Huskers’ first possession. B.J. Walker followed with a turnaround hook shot off the glass to give NU a quick 4-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. The Nebraska defense then forced a shot-clock violation before Marcus Walker drove the length of the floor for a layup. Wilkinson later added a basket to give the Huskers an 8-0 lead before the 16-minute mark. Senior forward Nikko Briteramos finally put the Cougars on the board with a 1-for-2 effort from the free-throw line, and Parran followed with a trey on their next possession.

 

With Nebraska leading, 16-13, at the 10:30 mark, Wilkinson ended a 9-3 CSU run with a short jumper off the glass. Holston answered with a jumper of his own before Wilkinson forced a steal and drove the floor for a dunk to put NU back up by five. Parran followed with his third 3-pointer of the first half to cut the lead to two, but freshman forward Kyle Marks slammed home an alley-oop pass from fellow freshman Jamel White on the Huskers’ ensuing possession.

 

After Marcus Walker hit a transition pull-up jumper from the foul line to give NU a one-point lead, 24-23, ChicagoState went on a 10-2 run in less than two minutes. Holston nailed a pair of 3-pointers, while Parran added two transition buckets, to push the Cougars’ lead to seven, 33-26, with three minutes remaining in the half.

 

Wilkinson ended the run with a transition dunk that he followed with a foul shot. NU then forced a CSU turnover before McCray iced a pair of free throws to cut the lead to two. McCray would later tie the game at 34-34 with 55 seconds remaining on his second trey of the first half. Senior forward Bronsen Schliep put the Huskers back on top on a free throw after being fouled in the paint with only two seconds remaining in the half.

 

Nebraska returns to the DevaneyCenter floor Monday for a 7 p.m. matchup against North Carolina A&T. The game will be seen in the state of Nebraska on FSN Midwest.