Husker Defense Stifles Billikens

Lincoln ? Ade Dagunduro and Sek Henry jumpstarted the Nebraska offense and the Huskers executed Coach Doc Sadler's defensive gameplan to near perfection while earning a 71-57 victory over Saint Louis on Tuesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers moved to 4-0 while hitting an impressive 59.1 percent from the floor, while Saint Louis fell to 2-2 in their first road trip of the season.

Dagunduro got Nebraska rolling right from the start, getting a putback layup off a Ryan Anderson miss to give the Huskers a 2-0 lead just 22 seconds into the game. From there, the senior from Inglewood, Calif., continued a nearly flawless game, hitting 5-of-7 attempts from the field for a season-high 14 points. He had just 13 points in his first three games combined.

The Huskers opened a 15-7 lead with 12:01 to play on Dagunduro's three-point play, which gave him seven points before the first media timeout, matching his previous season high. NU extended the lead to 11 points, 19-8, before the Billikens started to come back.

SLU made back-to-back baskets before the Huskers surged again, this time moving the lead out to 12 points on Paul Velander's 3-pointer with 7:53 to play in the half. Nebraska hit 54 percent from the field in the first period while and eventually ran out to a 37-29 lead at the break.

It was more of the same in the second half as the Huskers connected at a 65-percent clip, hitting 13-of-20 shots from the field. Henry carried the load, scoring 12 of his game-high 19 points after the break. Henry hit 7-of-8 from the field and drained a pair of 3-pointers while adding four assists without a turnover.

Henry’s execution on offense was contagious as the Huskers drove to the basket nearly at will in the second period. The strong motion to the basket also opened up the outside shot as Nebraska hit 2-of-4 from 3-point range after the break, after starting the game 1-of-7 from long range.

Following Henry’s free throws with 9:35 to play, Nebraska used a 9-0 run to pull away for a 16-point lead, 63-47 on Steve Harley’s three-point play with 3:15 remaining. Nebraska pushed the lead to 17 twice after that before holding on for its fourth straight double-figure victory.

Henry’s 19 points were a season-high for a Husker and were just one point off his career high. Along with Henry and Dagunduro, Steve Harley added double-digit points for the second straight game, putting in 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

The Huskers’ strong play on offense included posting just six turnovers, easily a season low. NU held Saint Louis to 41.7 percent shooting, but the Billikens nearly kept even behind their rebounding. SLU outrebounded the Huskers 28-20, including grabbing 12 offensive boards. Freshman Brian Conklin led Saint Louis with 18 points and six rebounds.

Nebraska returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 29, when the Huskers play host to Creighton at the Devaney Center. The game, which will be seen on Fox Sports Midwest and ESPN FullCourt, will tip off at 7 p.m.