Husker Defense Clamps Down on Sun Devils

Lincoln -- Nebraska received a balanced offensive effort but it was the stellar defense that gave the Big Red faithful something to cheer about Sunday as the Huskers smothered Arizona State in a 62-47 victory in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.

In front of a Devaney Center crowd of nearly 8,000, the Huskers held their third opponent of the season to 48 or fewer points, improving to 6-0 under second-year coach Doc Sadler when limiting teams to 50 points or less. ASU managed just 38 field-goal attempts on the day, 10 fewer than the previous Nebraska opponent low this season, and hit just 42.1 percent from the floor.

Nebraska's impressive defensive pressure forced the Sun Devils into 19 turnovers, with NU recording at least nine steals for the fifth straight game with six Huskers recording at least one steal. On the other end, Nebraska recorded a season-low tying nine turnovers.

Freshman point guard Cookie Miller continued a strong opening run to his career as he tied his season high with five assists against just one turnover while Ade Dagunduro added four assists without a miscue. Miller has 10 assists and one turnover in the past two games combined.

Dagunduro was a spark for the Huskers on both ends of the court as he posted a game-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor. The Inglewood, Calif., native missed his first two shots from the floor and then hit four straight to end the first half 4-of-6 from the field. His four baskets came at a crucial point as he pulled Nebraska back from a seven-point deficit nearly single-handedly.

After ASU went ahead 17-10 on Christian Polk's layup with 11:26 remaining in the first period, the Huskers seemed to be stalled offensively until Dagunduro hit a jumper at the 9:31 mark. He added another jumper 40 seconds later, drained a 3-pointer at the 8:09 mark and pulled NU within two with another jumper with 7:22 remaining in the half.

The Huskers continued to dig in on defense as they did not allow another field goal for the rest of the half following Jarren Shipp's 3-point bucket at the 8:36 mark. ASU scored only four points on free throws the rest of the way. The Sun Devils missed their final four shots from the floor in the last eight minutes and had seven turnovers in that span.

Nebraska kept the pressure on as it scored the final 16 points of the period. Ryan Anderson added a pair of 3-pointers in the stretch and Jay-R Strowbridge connected on a trey as the Huskers ran to a 30-21 halftime lead despite hitting just 39.3 percent from the field.  

Following the intermission, NU continued hounding the Sun Devils as ASU made just one field-goal attempt -- a 3-pointer by Ty Abbott at the 15:48 mark -- in the first 10:55 of the second period. By that point, the Huskers used a 24-6 run to open a 26-point lead, 54-28, on Steve Harley's basket with 9:05 remaining. It was the fifth time in as many home games this season that the Huskers led by at least 20 points.

Arizona State continued struggling from the floor as it had just 31 points with 6:55 to play. Over the final seven minutes, the Sun Devils connected on 7-of-10 shots to pull within 15 points at the end, capping a 12-3 run to end the contest. The Huskers did not allow a double-figure scorer, as ASU was led by Jeff Pendergraff, James Harden and Polk with eight points apiece.

The Huskers hit just 44.4 percent from the floor in the contest, but connected on 50.0 percent in the second half. Anderson and Maric added 14 points apiece and combined for 15 rebounds, as Nebraska held a slim 29-27 lead on the boards. The Huskers did not give many second-chance opportunities to the Sun Devils as ASU had just four offensive rebounds in the contest. Over its last two games, NU has give up just five offensive boards.

Nebraska returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 5, when it makes its final non-conference road trip of the season and its first escapade outside the state as it takes on Western Kentucky. The Huskers and Hilltoppers will tip off in Bowling Green, Ky., at 7 p.m. and the game can be seen in the state of Nebraska on FSN Midwest. The Husker Sports Network radio broadcast can also be heard around the world on Huskers.com.