Huskers Fall to Kansas, 76-56

Lincoln ? Freshman Ryan Anderson scored a team-high 19 points but the Huskers’ cold shooting in the first half doomed any hopes of an upset, as sixth-ranked Kansas posted a 76-56 victory over Nebraska at the Devaney Center Monday night.

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Anderson turned in his best performance in Big 12 action in front of a national television audience, hitting 6-of-11 shots from the floor, including six of his nine attempts from beyond the arc.  The freshman from Seattle, who had been in double figures just once over the last eight contests, enjoyed his best offensive night since scoring a career-high 29 points at Hawaii on Dec. 22<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Kansas (19-3, 6-1 Big 12) was paced by the duo of Brandon Rush and Julian Wright, who combined for 37 points and 15 rebounds. Rush led all scorers with 20 points, including eight points in a 2:11 span that turned a six-point lead into a 16-point cushion, and a team-high eight boards while Wright chipped in 17 points and seven rebounds. 

 

Nebrasaka (12-8, 1-5 in Big 12) held Kansas to just 44 percent shooting from the field, but the Huskers were out-rebounded 47-21, including 16-1 on the offensive glass. The Jayhawks converted the offensive boards into 13 second-chance points, while holding the Huskers to just 39 percent shooting and forcing 14 turnovers. 

 

Kansas quieted the near sellout crowd early, as Wright opened the game with six straight points while helping the visitors to an early 12-3 cushion. Nebraska clawed back to within 12-6 after an Anderson 3-pointer with 16:09 left, but then fell into a deep offensive funk.  The Huskers missed their next 14 shots from the floor, including nine straight attempts from 3-point range, while going scoreless for a stretch of 13:43.

 

Kansas took full advantage of NU’s shooting troubles, running off 27 unanswered points, taking a 39-6 lead after a three-point play from Darrell Arthur with 3:14 left in the half. Rush keyed KU’s spurt, triggering the run with eight of his 12 first-half points over a 2:11 stretch.

 

When Jay-R Strowbridge finally ended the drought with a jumper with 2:26 left in the half, the damage had been done, as the Huskers found themselves in too large of a deficit to come back from.

 

Behind the shooting of Anderson, who was 4-of-5 from beyond the arc after halftime, the Huskers outscored Kansas 40-33 in the second half to pull within 20 at the end of the night.

 

The Huskers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 3, when they travel to Columbia, Mo., to take on the Missouri Tigers. Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN Plus (Ch. 8 in Lincoln).