Huskers End 2008 With 77-63 Win

Lincoln ? The Nebraska basketball team used a 15-0 second-half run to pull away from South Carolina State Tuesday night in a 77-63 win at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

South Carolina State used a 7-0 run to tie the game at 36 more than three minutes into the second half, before the Huskers scored 15 consecutive points and never looked back, leading by at least 11 the rest of the way. The win pushed the Huskers’ record to 8-3 on the season, while the Bulldogs dropped to 5-6.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Sek Henry and Ade Dagunduro led a balanced NU scoring attack with 18 and 14 points, respectively, as the Huskers tied a season high with four players scoring in double figures. Jason Johnson led the Bulldogs with 22 points and Jessie Burton added 13.

Chris Balham, whose previous season-high in minutes was 10, saw 18 minutes of action. He made the most of it, scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds, including five offensive boards, which tied the most by a Husker this season.

With Toney McCray making his first career start and Cookie Miller returning to the lineup after a one-game absence due to family reasons, the Huskers jumped out to a 12-5 lead by the 14:15 mark. Nebraska fell behind early 5-0, but ran off 12 straight points in a three-minute span, thanks in part to five points from Henry and aggressive defense that led to the Huskers scoring 10 of their first 14 points off turnovers.

After Nebraska extended its lead to 23-13 on a Harley layup, the Bulldogs rattled off seven unanswered points over the next 2:24 to pull within three. But two buckets by Henry put NU up 27-20 with 3:43 left.

The Bulldogs closed the gap to four after Carrio Bennett hit two free throws with 1:41 left, but Paul Velander hit his second 3-pointer of the half with 51 seconds left to give the Huskers a seven-point edge. Two Jessie Burton free throws put the Bulldogs down five at the break.

NU stood tall on defense in the first half, forcing 11 Bulldog turnovers. On the offensive end, the Huskers used a balanced scoring attack to make up for a below-average shooting performance in the first half. Nebraska hit just four of its 16 3-point attempts in the half and shot only 44.4 percent from the free-throw line, but eight different Huskers scored for the Big Red before halftime.

After an alley-oop from Cookie Miller to Dagunduro put the Huskers up seven at the start of the second half, the Bulldogs hit three straight field goals to tie the game. But NU picked up the intensity immediately, going on a 15-0 run over the next 3:55 to take a 51-36 lead.

Two free throws by Dagunduro gave Nebraska the 38-36 lead, which the Huskers would not relinquish for the rest of the game. Harley then picked off a pass and dunked the ball to make it 40-36. After two Harley free throws, Balham grabbed his second offensive rebound of the night and converted a traditional three-point play to make it 45-36. After a Harley free throw and a Velander 3-pointer, Miller connected with Dagunduro for their second alley-oop of the half to give Nebraska a 15-point advantage.

After Josh Jackson ended the 4:38 scoring drought for the Bulldogs with a bucket at the 13:11 mark, Balham grabbed another offensive rebound and made a hook shot with 12:00 left. Harley and Miller then finished off a highlight-reel fast break to give the Big Red a 17-point cushion at 55-38.

After attempting 16 3-point field goals in the first half, the Huskers put up just four in the second half, as NU attacked the rim and earned 26 second-half free throws. The 35 free-throw attempts on the game and 22 conversions marked the most by a Husker team this season.

Nebraska continues its four-game home stand this Saturday afternoon, when Maryland Eastern Shore comes to the Bob Devaney Sports Center for a 2 p.m. matchup.