Huskers Improve to 3-0 with 67-53 Win

Lincoln ? Steve Harley scored a game-high 18 points, Sek Henry added 14 and the Husker defense turned in another terrific effort, as Nebraska won its 27th consecutive non-conference home game with a 67-53 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday afternoon at the BobDevaneySportsCenter.

The win improved the Huskers to 3-0 on the young season, while extending the nation’s 10th-longest non-conference home winning streak. Head Coach Doc Sadler picked up his 40th victory with the Huskers, while improving to 23-0 in home non-conference games. Arkansas-Pine Bluff fell to 0-4 with its fourth straight road loss.

Nebraska had more than one player score in double figures for the first time this season, as Henry and Harley each notched double-figure efforts for the first time this year. Harley hit 7-of-14 from the field, while Henry was an efficient 5-of-7.

In addition to big days from Harley and Henry, the Husker defense turned in another outstanding effort on Saturday. NU forced Arkansas-Pine Bluff into 23 turnovers, marking the second straight home game the Huskers have forced more than 20 turnovers. Nebraska also recorded at least 10 steals for the second straight time at home, finishing with 11 against UAPB.

In a sluggish first half, Arkansas-Pine Bluff used its height advantage to hold on to the lead for more than seven minutes. The Golden Lions hit 10 of their first 15 shots, while scoring 20 of their first 24 points in the paint. UAPB trailed early before hitting 5-of-6 shots during an 11-3 run that put the Golden Lions in front 19-11 with 10:22 remaining in the period.

From there, Arkansas-Pine Bluff scored just five points the rest of the half. Trailing 21-15, Nebraska outscored UAPB 17-3 over the final eight minutes of the first half, as the Golden Lions made only one field goal. Henry scored nine points during the half-ending run, while Harley added five. Henry and Harley keyed the Huskers in the first half, combining for 23 of the Huskers’ 32 points.

The Huskers carried their momentum over to the second half, as NU outscored UAPB 5-1 over the first 1:03 of the period to extend the lead to double digits at 37-25. The lead remained at least 10 for the rest of the game and grew to as large as 21 with five minutes remaining following a pair of Paul Velander 3-pointers.

After hitting 10 of its first 15 field goals, Arkansas-Pine Bluff connected on just 10 of its final 28 attempts. The Golden Lions finished the game shooting 46.5 percent from the floor, become the first opponent to shoot better than 36 percent against the Huskers this season. UAPB was just 2-of-12 from 3-point range however.

Nebraska nearly held a third consecutive opponent to 50 points or fewer for the first time since the 1957-58 season, but Tyree Glass knocked down a pair of free throws with less than one minute remaining. Lebaron Weathers added a final basket to give him a team-high 12 points.

The Huskers continue their four-game homestand on Tuesday night, when they battle the Saint Louis Billikens. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised in the state of Nebraska on Fox Sports Midwest.