Huskers Fall at No. 19 Arizona State

Tempe, Ariz. ---  Arizona State used a 15-2 run to end the first half and a key 8-0 run in the second period to ease past Nebraska 64-44 at the Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday.

The No. 19 Sun Devils, who improved to 7-1 on the season, utilized their effective zone defense to hold Nebraska to just 28.9 percent shooting while forcing NU into a season low for points one game after recording a season-high 81 points at home. ASU, which fell at Nebraska, 62-47, last year, evened the score with Nebraska in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series at 1-1.

The Huskers (6-1) looked to have the tempo in their favor early in the contest as Nebraska held Arizona State to just 34.6 percent (9-of-26) in the opening period. But ASU dominated the glass by a 23-12 margin including seven offensive boards, which led to several second-chance attempts as Arizona State got hot at just the right time. The Sun Devils used a 13-point advantage over the final six minutes of the first half to provide the 12-point difference, 30-18, going into the locker room.

Nebraska harassed ASU as the Sun Devils opened with just one field goal in the first 9:56 of the game, with that coming on a bucket by Rihards Kuksiks at the 17:21 mark. From there, Nebraska cruised out to its biggest lead of the game when Paul Velander hit three free throws after getting fouled beyond the arc to give NU a 9-4 advantage. Velander also had a 3-pointer while scoring six of NU’s first nine points.

A quick 8-0 surge pushed the Sun Devils ahead, 12-9, before Brandon Richardson’s jumper cut the deficit back to one point. The Huskers pulled ahead one final time at 16-15 on Ryan Anderson’s reverse layup under the basket with 6:21 to play before the Sun Devils finished off the opening half in a flurry. A pair of Kuksiks free throws started the surge as he and Ty Abbott led the way in the first half by posting 10 points apiece.

In the second period, Arizona State All-America candidate James Harden posted 14 of his game-high 20 points, helping ASU hit 50.0 percent from the floor.

Despite the deficit, Nebraska came out determined and quickly cut into the lead, using a six-point run over the first three minutes to cut ASU’s advantage to 32-24 on Steve Harley’s free throw at the 17:17 mark. Harley had a steal on the next possession but his layup attempt at the other end was blocked and helped spark the Sun Devils.

After the teams traded 3-pointers, ASU went on an 8-0 run, pushing the lead to 43-27 with 8:23 to play on Derek Glasser’s 3-pointer from the corner. NU’s Cookie Miller hit a driving basket in traffic and then drained a 3-pointer on consecutive trips, but Harden added eight of the Sun Devils’ next 11 points.

ASU moved the lead out to 54-34 with 4:42 to play as Harden completed a tradition three-point play. NU could only cut the deficit to 15 points on Velander’s 3-pointer with just under three minutes to play before ASU pushed out to its largest lead at 62-41 and sealed the victory.  

Harley led Nebraska with 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting while Velander was second on the squad with nine points. Nebraska was outrebounded 37-25 and committed more turnovers (14-12) than its opponent for the first time this season.

Harden led ASU with 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists while Kuksiks added 18 points and six boards. Ty Abbott connected on 4-of-10 shots from the floor, including three key 3-pointers, to post 15 points with eight rebounds and Jeff Pendergraph added a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Huskers return to action on Saturday, Dec. 13, when they travel to Corvallis, Ore., to take on their second straight Pac-10 foe in Oregon State. Nebraska and OSU will tip off at 7 p.m. Central and the game can be seen in the state of Nebraska on Fox Sports Midwest.