Huskers Use Second Half Outburst to Defeat NWU

Lincoln ? The Huskers scored 40 second-half points and used an all-around soild performance from preseason All-American Aleks Maric to defeat Nebraska Wesleyan, 70-50, in its first exhibition game of the 2007-08 season Friday night at the Devaney Center.

Maric contributed a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds while hitting 9-of-14 shots from the field. With the game tied 30-30 at halftime, the 6-11 center led a sluggish Husker team out of the locker room to turn the tie into a quick six-point lead on three consecutive dunks with 17:04 left in the game.

Maric’s inside presence opened up the outside game for the Big Red as Nebraska followed with back-to-back 3-pointers from sophomore Ryan Anderson and junior Ade Dagunduro to stretch the lead to 44-34 just over a minute later. NU then ran away from an aggressive Wesleyan squad that had gained a three-point lead, 29-26, with 2:23 remaining in the first half. The Huskers used a 24-6 run to push the lead out to 22 points, and earned their largest lead of the game at 25 points, first at 69-44 and then at 70-45.

Maric was a force from the start, as he had four points and two rebounds in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the game to lead the Huskers to a early 8-0 advantage. He had a total of six blocks in the contest -- three in each half -- to open up time for junior back-up Shang Ping, who played 15 minutes and scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Along with 13 points from Dagunduro, the Huskers had three players in double figures.

With aggressive defense, the Huskers held Wesleyan scoreless through the opening five minutes of the game before Brandon Arp hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with 14:51 remaining in the first half. The Prairie Wolves were just 8-of-30 from field in the opening frame, but kept the contest close by connecting on 7-of-15 3-pointers.

Weselyan did not make a two-point field goal until the 7:08 mark of the first half when Marcus Minzell hit a jumper from the free-throw line that cut the Husker lead to 20-16. Three 3-pointers by the Prairie Wolves in the final four minutes of the half pushed the game into a deadlock at the break.

Nebraska started three newcomers Friday night as junior Steve Harley and freshman Cookie Miller joined Dagunduro in the opening lineup. The Huskers played six newcomers in the first five minutes of the game as freshmen Alonzo Edwards, Toney McCray and Brandon Richardson also saw action. In addition to Ping and Dagunduro, five first-year Huskers got on the scoreboard in Harley (6 points), Miller (4 points), Edwards (2 points) and Richardson (1 point).

Nebraska returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 6, with its final exhibition of the season when it plays host to Wayne State at the Devaney Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be heard live on the Husker Sports Network and Huskers.com.