Huskers Hit Century Mark Against Aggies

LINCOLN?Hot shooting from behind the arc and sharp ball-handling led the Nebraska men’s basketball team to its first 100-point scoring effort in nearly a decade Monday, as the Huskers downed North Carolina A&T, 107-57, at the BobDevaneySportsCenter.

 

The win moved NU’s season record to 8-2, while Aggies dropped to 0-7 with the loss.

 

Four Huskers pitched in double-figure scoring efforts and the squad gave away only seven turnovers while reaching the century mark for the first time since Jan. 13, 1996, when Nebraska lost a triple-overtime thriller to Oklahoma, 117-100, the same season NU would go on to claim the NIT title. The Huskers shot 51.6 percent from the field Monday, including 44.4 percent from behind the 3-point line, and committed only three turnovers in the second half.

 

Nebraska’s 107 points were its most in a game since a 114-106 win overtime win over Oregon during the 1995-96 season, and its most in a regulation game since a 108-71 win against Appalachian State on Dec. 31, 1994.

 

Six players combined to drill a season-high 16 3-point attempts for Nebraska. Sophomore guard Joe McCray posted his second straight impressive effort, leading the Huskers with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a game-high five 3-pointers. Senior forward Jason Dourisseau chipped in 16 points while nailing 4-of-5 attempts, while freshman point guard Marcus Walker added a career-high 13 points with a 4-for-6 effort from behind the arc. Junior guard Marcus Perry gave NU a late surge to break the century mark with a career-high 13 points.

 

Several other Huskers notched career highs against the Aggies, including redshirt freshman forward Jim Ledsome, who scored his first career points on a dunk en route to five points in only nine minutes of play. Freshman forward Kyle Marks posted a personal-best six points.

 

Junior guard Derek Crumpton and sophomore forward Jason Wills were the Aggies’ main scoring threats, notching respective totals of 19 and 15 points. While the Huskers stayed hot from the field for the entire game, A&T cooled off in the second half, shooting 27.6 percent from the floor.

 

Leading by a comfortable 26-pont margin at halftime, the Huskers opened the second half with a 17-3 run to build a 40-point cushion with just under 15 minutes remaining. Senior forward Wes Wilkinson, Marcus Walker and McCray drilled 3-pointers in a two-minute flurry, followed by a layup from junior forward B.J. Walker. Marcus Walker’s fourth trey slammed the door on the Aggies.

 

Hot shooting helped Nebraska lead by as much as 26 in the first half. Five Huskers combined to make seven 3-point attempts in the game’s first 12 minutes. While NU’s shooting was sharp, so was its offensive execution. Nebraska lost a season-low four first-half turnovers to post a 16-1 edge in points off turnovers. The combined effort boosted the squad to 58 first-half points, its most since a 60-point outburst against Texas A&M in 2001.

 

NU came out of the locker room gunning, making five 3-point attempts in the first five minutes to build a quick 14-point lead over the Aggies. McCray led the way, draining two quick trey attempts on his way to a 4-for-6 first-half effort. McCray notched a season high for points in a half with 14, while Dourisseau had 11 at the break.

 

After sophomore forward Demetrius Guions opened the scoring with an alley-oop slam from sophomore guard Trahern Chaplin on A&T’s first possession, Dourisseau hit 1-of-2 free throws and McCray put the Huskers on top with his first trey of the game. Marcus Walker then added another three to give the Huskers an early 7-2 lead.

 

McCray then accounted for a quick five points on another 3-pointer followed by a transition layup off a steal to give NU an eight-point cushion, while Marcus Walker followed with another 3 to put Nebraska up 11 points, 15-4, just under four minutes into the game. Wilkinson also got into the act early, drilling his first attempt from behind the arc to give the Huskers an 18-4 edge at the 14:53 mark.

 

NU’s hot first half overshadowed the Aggies’ successful early shooting. North Carolina A&T shot 46 percent from the field in the first half and owned the rebounding advantage for much of the period, but 10 turnovers sealed the Aggies’ fate. For the game, the Huskers recorded a 24-3 edge in points of turnovers.

 

Nebraska looks to keep its hot streak intact Wednesday when it plays host to its final home matchup before the new year against 2005 NCAA Tournament qualifier Alabama A&M at 7 p.m. at the DevaneyCenter.