Huskers Rally to Top Creighton

Lincoln ? Steve Harley’s only assist of the game was a big one, as Harley found a cutting Ade Dagunduro for the game-winning basket with 2.7 seconds remaining to lift the Husker basketball team to a 54-52 win over the Creighton Bluejays on Saturday night in front of 12,008 fans at the BobDevaneySportsCenter.

After erasing a 13-point halftime deficit, Nebraska built a five-point lead with less than four minutes remaining only to see Creighton rally not once but twice to tie the game. The Bluejays used a 5-0 run over the span of 1:38 to tie the game at 47 with 2:11 left. The Huskers quickly regained the lead and Harley knocked down two free throws with just 25 seconds left to put NU on top 52-49.

Bluejay point guard Josh Dotzler answered six seconds later with a game-tying 3-pointer that set the stage for Harley and Dagunduro. Looking to take the final shot, Harley penetrated from the top of the lane, drawing two defenders before shuffling a pass to Dagunduro, who was cutting along the baseline and took the pass for an uncontested lay-in.

Dotzler’s desperation three from halfcourt fell well short as the clock ran out on Nebraska’s 29th consecutive home non-conference victory. With the win, NU improved to 5-0 while Creighton dropped to 3-2 on the young season following its second straight road loss.

Harley poured in 14 of his game-high 18 points in the second half to lead a strong effort from the Huskers’ three seniors. Dagunduro finished with 11 points, while Paul Velander fueled NU’s second-half comeback by hitting three 3-pointers and scoring all nine of his points in the final 20 minutes.

Nebraska trailed 31-18 at the half after shooting just 30 percent from the floor and hitting only seven field goals. The Huskers came out of the locker room intent on making a comeback. NU had runs of 6-0, 7-0 and 13-0 while outscoring Creighton 27-7 over the first 10:36 seconds of the period.

NU scored the first six points of the second half to quickly cut the lead to seven. Creighton responded with five straight points before Nebraska took the lead for good with a decisive 20-2 run.

The Huskers took their first lead at 37-36 as Velander and Ryan Anderson connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to cap the 13-0 run. Creighton quickly regained the lead with a bucket before Velander added two more threes and Harley had a bucket to put NU in front 45-38.

The Huskers enjoyed a 47-41 lead for nearly five minutes before Creighton ended the scoreless drought with a free throw. The Bluejays added two more free throws to cut the lead to 47-44 with 3:07 remaining. CU then tied the game with four straight points to force a Nebraska timeout with 2:06 left.

Harley ended the 6-0 Bluejay run with a driving bucket that was answered by Cavel Witter on the other end. Anderson then drew a foul and knocked down 1-of-2 free throws to put NU on top 50-49 with 1:20 remaining.

After a defensive stop, Harley earned a trip to the line for a 1-and-1 opportunity and calmly sank the first. His second make gave NU a three-point lead before Dotzler drilled his 3-pointer to tie the game at 52-52 and set the stage for Dagunduro’s game-winner.

The second-half comeback was necessary after the Huskers struggled in the opening 20 minutes. Each team had more turnovers than field goals in the first half, as Creighton had 12 turnovers and nine field goals, while Nebraska had 10 turnovers and just seven field goals. The Bluejays were able to take the lead by hitting nine free throws and four 3-pointers to outscore the Huskers 21-4 in those two areas. Nebraska, contrastly, hit just four free throws and did not hit a single 3-pointer in the period.

Both teams opened the game 3-of-15 from the field and both had long offensive droughts. The Huskers went six minutes without a field goal in the middle of the first half, allowing Creighton to extend a one-point lead into a 15-6 advantage with less than nine minutes remaining. The Bluejays went 7:13 without a field goal, but still outscored Nebraska 7-4 during that stretch by hitting 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

Nebraska momentarily found an offensive rhythm by hitting back-to-back shots to pull to within 17-12 with 5:49 left in the half. Creighton responded with six straight points while scoring 14 of the final 20 points of the half to take a 31-18 lead into the locker room.

Kenny Lawson Jr. led Creighton by scoring 10 points and pulling down a game-high nine rebounds. The Bluejays outrebounded Nebraska 39-27, but the Huskers were able to overcome that with a strong shooting performance in the second half.

After hitting just 30 percent of their shots in the first half, the Huskers connected on 48.1 percent from the field in the second half. Creighton finished the game hitting a season-low 35.4 percent from the floor, while committing a season-high 24 turnovers.

Nebraska wraps up its four-game homestand on Wednesday against AlabamaState. The game tips off at 7 p.m. and can be seen in the state of Nebraska on Fox Sports Midwest.