Huskers Rally for Victory in Final Seconds

Stillwater, Okla. ? Three days after pouring in a career-high 28 points off the bench in the Huskers’ victory over Missouri, freshman Jamel White was again the hero for the Nebraska men’s basketball team as his offensive rebound and putback with 1.1 seconds remaining lifted the Huskers to a dramatic 59-57 road victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys Tuesday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

 

In a game of runs and lead changes, a late 9-1 run gave Oklahoma State a 57-53 lead with just 1:41 remaining in the game. The Huskers responded with great defense and clutch plays down the stretch that led to a victory as Nebraska improved to 14-6 overall and 4-3 in league play.

 

NU cut the lead to 57-55 on a pair of free throws from senior Wes Wilkinson. Maric then stole the ball on OSU’s next possession and found senior Jason Dourisseau with a heads-up pass for a breakaway dunk that tied the game at 57-57 with 58 seconds left. The basket was NU's first since the 7:04 mark when White hit Maric on a pick-and-roll to give the Huskers a 48-46 lead. Between baskets, the Huskers hit 6-of-7 attempts from the free throw line before finishing 16-of-18 at the charity stripe for a season-high 88.9 percent.

 

On the Cowboys’ final possession, JamesOn Curry missed a 3-pointer and the rebound went out of bounds off an OklahomaState player to set the stage for White’s dramatics.

 

With the shot clock off and Nebraska prepared to take the final shot, White lost control of the ball, but gained control of it on the floor and alertly called the Huskers’ final timeout to give NU another chance with 5.9 seconds remaining. On the ensuing inbounds play, Wilkinson launched a 3-pointer that fell short enough for White to grab the rebound in mid-air and lay it in to give the Huskers their second Big 12 road victory of the season.

 

White's bucket marked the final of 12 lead changes in a game that also saw nine ties. By breaking the final tie and earning the win, Nebraska notched its first victory in Stillwater since the 1998 season while handing OklahomaState its fourth straight loss while dropping to 12-9 and 2-5.

 

White finished the game with 10 points and a team-high four assists, while Wilkinson scored 19, including 14 in the first half. Maric added his team-high fifth double-double of the year with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while OSU's Curry led all scorers with 22.

 

Before Nebraska’s late rally, it looked as though the Huskers might lose a halftime lead for just the second time this season. In the opening 20 minutes, Nebraska built a 31-30 advantage behind the outstanding play of Wilkinson.

 

Wilkinson started the game on fire, scoring nine of the Huskers’ first 12 points. The senior drained a 3-pointer on Nebraska’s first possession, before the Cowboys answered by making their first three shots and running off seven straight points to take a 7-3 lead. Wilkinson then added a dunk and a pair of free throws to pull NU to within one at 9-8.

 

Junior Marcus Perry tied the game at 16-16 on a layup off a great cut before OSU used a 7-0 run to take a 23-16 advantage and force a Nebraska timeout. A heads-up play from senior Jason Dourisseau kept the Huskers’ next possession alive with two seconds reaming and Wilkinson beat the shot clock with a jumper in the lane. Maric scored inside on the next trip down court and Wilkinson nailed his second 3-pointer to tie the game at 23-all.

 

Maric capped a 9-0 Husker run with a pair of free throws that put Nebraska ahead 25-23 with 5:30 left in the half. Curry ended a 4:38 scoreless drought for the Cowboys when he hit a trey to put OklahomaState back on top, 26-25.

 

Junior Charles Richardson Jr. pushed the Huskers back in front with a transition 3-pointer and White added another trey to give Nebraska a 31-26 lead. OSU responded by scoring the final four points of the half to trim the lead to one at the break.

 

 

After the teams traded baskets to open the second half, White’s second 3-pointer of the night gave the Huskers a 41-37 lead five minutes into the period. Curry responded for OSU, knocking down a trey for the first Cowboy field goal in six minutes to tie the game at 41-41 with 11 minutes remaining in the game.

 

With Nebraska in the midst of a scoring drought of its own, another trey from Curry closed a 7-0 OklahomaState run before a pair of Dourisseau free throws ended a 6:12 scoreless stretch for NU and cut the Cowboys’ lead to 44-43.

 

Great ball movement by the Huskers allowed an open 3-pointer for Perry, who connected to tie the game at 46-46 with 7:30 remaining. NU regained the lead after White delivered a perfect pass to Maric for a wide open dunk that put Nebraska on top 48-46 and capped a 7-2 Husker run.

 

OklahomaState responded with its 9-1 run and reclaimed the lead with a pair of quick baskets and another 3-pointer form Curry. Nebraska cut the deficit to 55-53 after a pair of free throws from Richardson with 2:11 left before Oklahoma State connected on its final bucket of the game to take a 57-53 lead with 1:41 remaining. The Cowboys did not score the rest of the way, as the Huskers closed the game on a 6-0 run capped by White's basket.

 

The Huskers look to add to extend their winning streak to three games when they return home to the DevaneyCenter for an 8 p.m. contest with Baylor this Saturday, Feb. 4. The game will be seen regionally on ESPN+ as part of the Big 12 syndicated package, and can be heard on the Pinnacle Sports Network and Huskers.com.