Maric Leads Huskers to Win

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln ? Aleks Maric was a surprise addition to the starting lineup, but there was nothing surprising about the junior center’s performance. The 2006 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds in the first half alone to lead the Huskers to a 76-62 victory over Nebraska-Omaha Tuesday night.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Maric’s performance gave Head Coach Doc Sadler a win in his regular-season debut, while Nebraska (1-0) won its home opener for the 26th consecutive year and season opener for the sixth straight year. Maric finished with a game-high 29 points to go along with 10 rebounds as the 6-11 center posted his 14th career double-double, including one in the season opener for the third consecutive year.

 

Andrew Bridger led UNO with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc.

 

Maric’s performance overshadowed a solid effort from sophomore guard Jamel White, who finished with 18 points and hit 8-of-10 free throws. Freshman Ryan Anderson nearly recorded a double-double of his own in his debut, as he finished with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

 

Maric, who missed both of Nebraska's exhibition games and didn't return to practice until Monday, made his presence felt early, as he scored on NU’s second possession. Maric’s bucket ignited a quick 7-0 Husker spurt highlighted by a conventional three-point play and an uncontested layup from White.

 

Sophomore Jim Ledsome gave Maric a breather less than four minutes into the game and announced his presence with a thunderous two-handed dunk following a missed shot that gave NU a 9-5 lead at the first media timeout.

 

Freshman Sek Henry added another Husker dunk following Nebraska’s third steal in the game’s opening five minutes. Maric added his sixth point on NU’s third dunk of the half to put Nebraska ahead 15-9 nearly eight minutes into the game. The Sydney, Australia, native then added a pair of free throws and an 18-foot jumper to reach double-figures just 9:01 into the game.

 

Back-to-back three-point plays by Bridger, a Lincoln native, cut Nebraska’s lead to 30-27 before senior Charles Richardson Jr. made a steal and converted a three-point play of his own to put the Huskers back up by six.

 

After White took a charge on the defensive end, Maric converted 1-of-2 free throws to give the Huskers their first double-digit lead at 40-30 with 1:40 remaining before the half. White then hit a pair of free throws to increase the lead to 12 and join Maric in double-figures with 11 points.

 

A Maric offensive rebound and put back as time expired gave NU a 44-32 lead at the break. While the Huskers were solid offensively by shooting 53.6 percent from the field, the Nebraska defense forced 11 first-half turnovers, which led to 12 Husker points.

 

Maric picked up right where he left off in the second half, as he opened the period with a field goal on Nebraska’s second possession. Anderson followed with a layup of his own before a White layup gave Nebraska a 50-34 advantage. The Huskers pushed their run to 9-0 after Maric hit a jumper and converted a free throw for his 21st point of the night. Maric’s three-point play forced a quick UNO timeout after the NU lead ballooned to 53-34 just 3:17 into the second half.

 

Nebraska, which led by as many as 20 points in the second half, kept UNO at a distance, as the Mavericks never got closer than 12 points in the final 18:37. Anderson led Nebraska's second-half charge with seven points and seven rebounds in the period before fouling out with 1:18 remaining.

 

Defensively, the Huskers held the Mavericks to only 18 field goals and 36 percent shooting. NU also recorded eight steals and blocked two shots. NU held UNO to only 62 points, with more than one-third of those points (21) coming at the free-throw line.

 

Nebraska returns to action this Saturday, Nov. 18, when the Huskers host the Creighton Bluejays at 7 p.m. in a second straight matchup of in-state teams. Tickets are nearly sold out, and fans are asked to contribute new or in good condition picture and chapter books at the game to support the Read to Succeed Book Drive.