Huskers Hang On for Road Win Over Buffaloes

Boulder, Colo. --- After leading by as many as seven points in the final minute, the Nebraska Cornhuskers had to hold on down the stretch to pick up their second straight road win with a 55-53 victory over Colorado on Wednesday night.

In a sloppy game at the Coors Events Center that featured 31 combined turnovers, the Huskers held off the Buffs just long enough to improve 4-4 in Big 12 Conference play and 14-7 on the season.  It marked just the fourth time in the Big 12 era Nebraska has finished the first half of the league slate with a .500 or better record, and the first time since 2006.

The win also marked the second time under coach Doc Sadler that Nebraska has won two straight road games in league play, but only the fifth time in the Big 12 era. The Huskers won at Colorado for the first time since 2005.

Nebraska, which had a season-high 18 turnovers including 10 in the first half, led by seven points with 1:21 remaining in the game but Colorado hit some big shots down the stretch. After Steve Harley connected the second of two free throws to push NU to a 52-45 advantage, CU’s Nate Tomlinson hit a big 3-pointer to cut the deficit to four points.

The Huskers then started to struggle at the line, hitting just 3-of-8 at the charity stripe from that point forward as CU outscored Nebraska 9-4 in the last minute. Overall, the Huskers hit just 4-of-11 free throws in the final 1:02 and was just 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) at the line in the game.

After hitting 52.6 percent from field in the first half, Nebraska drained just 42.1 percent from the floor in the second period. The Huskers made up for it by holding a 30-22 rebounding advantage, the first time in league play this season Nebraska led on the glass.

Nebraska’s first basket of the second half came nearly seven minutes into the period as Colorado used a 5-1 run to start the frame. The Buffs took their first lead of the game at 30-28 on Dwight Thorne’s basket at the 15:16 mark. Nebraska finally got a bucket and tied the game at 30-30 when Ryan Anderson made a nice cut through the lane and received a bounce pass from Sek Henry.

The Huskers got back on top with Paul Velander’s 3-pointer at the 12:01 mark that gave NU a 33-30 advantage. Nebraska got some big plays of its own, including a pair of Toney McCray baskets the came in the final two seconds of the shot clock, pushing Nebraska out to a 39-32 lead.

Nebraska scored its largest lead of the game at 46-37 on Henry’s second 3-pointer with 4:24 to play. The Huskers then had two straight turnovers and did not get another field goal the rest of the way.

Anderson and Harley led the way with 12 points apiece, with Harley posting a career high with six rebounds. Henry had six points with four assists, as NU had 15 assists on 18 baskets.

To open the contest, Nebraska got out early and made the lead hold up through the first half as the Huskers went into the break ahead 27-25. It was the second straight road game Nebraska led at half, as the Huskers improved to 12-2 this season when leading the break.

The Huskers struck first with Ade Dagunduro putting in a nice jumper in the paint just 50 seconds into the game before Harley followed with a 3-pointer to give NU a five-point cushion. The Huskers rode the lead out to its largest of the opening half at seven points on Anderson’s 3-pointer at the 12:48 mark.

With Nebraska ahead 13-6, the Buffaloes started to buckle down on defense, helping force 10 Husker miscues in the first half. Nebraska entered the game averaging just 11.5 turnovers per contest to lead the Big 12 and rank in the top 20 nationally.

With the Huskers ahead 20-15, CU started to close the gap behind Dwight Thorne’s 3-pointer and a Trey Eckloff layup that knotted the score for the first time since the opening tip. Colorado had five chances in the final nine minutes to take the lead but failed to get over the hump, missing two 3-pointers and two layups while adding another turnover.

Colorado tied the score two more times, the last time at 25-25 before Anderson’s twisting layup with 54 seconds remaining gave the Huskers the halftime advantage.

Thorne led the way with 21 points for the Buffaloes, who fell to 1-6 in league action and 9-12 overall.

Nebraska returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 7, when the Huskers play host to No. 16/17 Texas at the Devaney Center. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. and can be seen nationally on ESPN.

At the game against the Longhorns, the legacy of former Husker great Jack Moore will be honored as part of Jack Moore Day. A halftime presentation featuring Moore’s family will highlight the honors.