Huskers Win 10th Straight at Home

Lincoln -- The Nebraska men's basketball team rode a solid defensive effort in the first half and strong shooting effort in the second half to a 77-53 win over AlcornState Saturday night at the DevaneyCenter in Lincoln. 

 

Ade Dagunduro led the Huskers with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, along with six rebounds and three assists.  Cookie Miller had 10 assists against no turnovers, becoming just the ninth NU player and the first freshman since at least 1984-85 to notch double-digit assists.  Aleks Maric had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and led Nebraska with nine rebounds while Jay-R Strowbridge came off the bench to add 10 points.

 

In the first half, the Huskers held AlcornState to 7-for-21 shooting, the fourth straight foe at the DevaneyCenter that Nebraska has held to under 33.3 percent shooting in the first half.  The defensive pressure allowed the Huskers to maintain a 10-point lead through much of the first half even though Nebraska struggled toward the end of the first half to sink shots.  After starting the game shooting 10-for-20, Nebraska closed the half by making just two of their final 11 attempts from the field.   

 

After halftime, Nebraska found its stride offensively. The Huskers hit 12 of their first 16 attempts from the field en route to shooting a solid 60 percent for the second half as they continued to build their lead against the Braves. 

 

After surrendering the game’s first three points, Nebraska went on a 12-0 run over a four-minute span that built the Huskers’ lead to 12-3 with 14:25 remaining until halftime.  The run was part of a larger 19-3 run by NU that built Nebraska’s lead to 19-6 with 13 minutes until the intermission.  Dagunduro led the Husker effort during the run with six points, while Maric added four.

 

The Huskers erased any doubt about the outcome with a 10-0 run over a 2 minute, 27 second span that gave NU a 51-27 lead with 15:53 remaining in the game.  The run was capped by a spectacular alley-oop dunk by Sek Henry off a feed near half-court from Miller.  Maric was also key in the run, posting five points including a put-back basket that sparked the run. 

 

Nebraska continued to build on its lead with a 15-4 surge over 3 minutes, 18 seconds that gave the Huskers a 66-33 lead with 11:42 to go in the game, Nebraska’s largest lead of the contest.  Paul Velander hit a pair of 3-point field goals to key the Husker run. 

 

From there, the Huskers (10-2) cruised to finish off their fifth straight win and Nebraska’s 10th home win of the season. 

 

Anthony Ford led the Braves (1-11) with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting. 

 

Nebraska closes its non-conference schedule against Maryland-EasternShore on Friday, Jan. 4 at 7:05 p.m at the DevaneyCenter in Lincoln.