Iowa State Holds Off Nebraska

Lincoln ? Aleks Maric scored more than 30 points for the second straight game, finishing his third consecutive double-double with 36 points and 12 rebounds, but his effort was not enough as Nebraska fell to Iowa State, 69-63, Wednesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

 

A 15-2 first-half run proved to be the difference, as Iowa State (15-14, 6-9 Big 12) never trailed after the 16:22 mark of the opening period. Nebraska (16-12, 5-9) used an early 11-1 second-half run to pull close, but the Cyclones always had an answer, never letting the game get closer than three points over the final 36 minutes.

 

Maric was the man for Nebraska, hitting 15-of-30 attempts from the field and 6-of-11 from the free-throw line. His 15 field goals were just one shy of the Big 12 Conference record for field goals made in a game and tied the school record against a league opponent.

 

Despite Maric's 50-percent shooting, NU hit just 38.3 percent for the game, compared to 47.9 percent for Iowa State.

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<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska went to Maric early and often in the first half, as the Aussie connected on 8-of-14 attempts and adding two free throws to lead all scorers with 18 at the break. He missed six of his first nine attempts from the floor but then ended the half knocking down five straight.

 

Maric made his presence felt immediately, slamming home two of NU’s first three baskets. His effort was more than matched by IowaState’s Mike Taylor, however, as Taylor had single-handedly outscored the Huskers 11-10 until the 8:30 mark.

 

A quick five points from Taylor - including his third 3-pointer of the first eight minutes ? capped the decisive 15-2 ISU run that turned a 6-5 Nebraska lead into a 20-8 deficit.

 

The lead grew to as large as 16 before Nebraska called its first timeout after Iowa State took a 26-10 lead with 8:59 remaining in the period. At the time, IowaState had hit better than 60 percent of its shots, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc, while Nebraska was just 5-of-20 (25 percent) and 0-of-3 from 3-point range.

 

After the big run, IowaState’s hot shooting began to cool off, as the Cyclones endured a 5:15 scoreless drought after opening up the 16-point advantage. Nebraska was only able to get as close as nine though, as the Huskers went 5:30 without a field goal before scoring on three consecutive possessions ? including a pair of buckets from Maric ? to cut ISU’s lead to 26-17.

 

The back-to-back baskets got Maric going again as he hit his final five shots of the half, but Iowa State continued to have an answer. This time it was Wesley Johnson scoring five points over the final 3:48 to finish with 14 in the half and give the Cyclones a 35-24 halftime lead.

 

Iowa State hit a quick three to open the second half before Nebraska went on an 11-1 run to cut the lead to four, the closest the game had been since the 13:54 mark of the first half.

 

Ryan Anderson had the hot hand during the Husker run, as he scored seven points on a pair of 3-pointers and a free throw, while Maric added the other four.

 

Iowa State answered with a quick 5-0 run of its own and the Cyclones pushed the lead back to double digits at 50-39 following a 6-0 spurt.

 

Maric hit the 30-point mark with a basket that cut the lead to 54-47 and he then hit 2-of-3 three free throws to pull the Huskers within five with just under six minutes remaining.

 

Iowa State maintained a comfortable advantage until Marcus Perry nailed a 3-pointer for his first points of the game and Maric converted in the paint to trim the lead to 57-54 with 2:49 remaining. The Huskers would get no closer, however, as Taylor once again provided the answer for the Cyclones by finishing a three-point play to push the lead back to six.

 

NU then made just 1-of-3 free throws in its next trip before a Rahshon Clark offensive rebound and putback gave Iowa State a 62-55 advantage and effectively ended the Huskers' hopes for a comeback. NU never got closer than five the rest of the way.

 

Missed free throws cost Nebraska all night long, as the Huskers hit just 13-of-23 from the charity stripe.

 

Johnson led three Cyclones in double figures with a career-high 22, while Taylor added 19. Anderson was the only other Husker to score more than three points, as he added 10 points and eight rebounds.

 

Nebraska heads on the road for the final time this weekend when the Huskers travel to Colorado for a 12:30 p.m. CST contest on Saturday against the Buffaloes. NU will then host OklahomaState on Monday, March 5 in a makeup game before beginning postseason play at the Big 12 Championship March 8-11 in Oklahoma City.