Huskers Roll Past Roos, 70-48

Lincoln --- Senior guard Sek Henry ignited the Husker offense late in the first half with a pair of key 3-pointers and Nebraska used the momentum to cruise to a 70-48 win over UMKC on Wednesday night at the Devaney Center.

Coming off the highest scoring game in coach Doc Sadler’s tenure at Nebraska – a 90-77 victory over TCU on Saturday -- the Huskers topped 70 points for the third time this season while improving to 3-1. The Roos fell for the first time in 2009, dropping to 3-1, as Nebraska posted its 30th home non-conference victory in its last 31 games.

Early on neither team seemed to be in sync on offense as the squads slugged their way to 15 combined points in the first nine minutes. Nebraska forged ahead by three points on three occasions, each time to see the Roos match their effort while forcing the Huskers into sloppy play, including four turnovers in the first seven minutes. From there, however, Nebraska had just three turnovers the rest of the game as they began to dominate the action.

Nebraska started to heat up behind Henry’s strong play. He sparked the offense when it needed it most, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers in less than 30 seconds to push NU ahead 26-19 with just over five minutes till halftime. Those treys ignited Nebraska, which went on a 21-5 run to end the half with a 17-point advantage. 

NU hit seven of its last nine shots from the field in the opening period, including four 3-pointers. The long-range attack included a pair of treys in the final minute that put the 5,843 fans on their feet.

Eshuante Jones, who made his first career start, hit a trey with 34 seconds left to push the Huskers’ lead to 14. A final attempt by the Kangaroos led to a miss and point guard Lance Jeter continued the momentum shift into the Husker locker room as he drove to the NU end of the floor and launched a perfectly aimed 3-pointer in the final second of the period. His last-second shot hit home just before the red light came on to put Nebraska ahead 41-24 at the intermission.

Nebraska's first-half explosion came along with a solid defensive effort. NU held the Roos to just 30.8 percent shooting, allowing only eight baskets on 26 attempts in the opening frame. UMKC knocked down only two baskets in the final 6:50 as the Huskers pulled away for their 11th win in 12 all-time contests with the Kangaroos.

The second half saw more of the same as Nebraska continued its efficient offensive punch, and despite using a number of different rotations throughout the half, led by as much as 28 with five minutes to play before clearing the bench. Sadler employed 13 players in the contest with all but two scoring against the under-manned Roos. Nebraska hit 53.1 percent -- its second straight game shooting over 50 percent -- and had 16 assists against just seven turnovers. The Huskers also earned a 33-30 advantage on the glass, their fourth straight game outrebounding the opposition.

Henry led the way with a game-high 14 points, knocking down 4-of-6 shots from the floor, including his only two 3-point attempts. After nearly posting a triple-double with 11 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds against TCU on Saturday, Henry continued his all-around play with five rebounds and four assists while adding two blocked shots for the second straight game.

Nebraska had seven blocks in the contest, after posting just eight in the first three games. Jorge Brian Diaz led the way with three blocks while coming off the bench. He was also one of three Huskers in double figures, posting 10 points to go with three rebounds. Jeter added 12 points and four assists while hitting 5-of-6 shots from the floor.

UMKC was led by Cousinard, who had 11 points as the only Roo in double figures. He picked up three fouls in the first four minutes of the second half and fouled out with more than 11 minutes to play. UMKC finished the game hitting 35 percent from the field, including 31.6 percent from 3-point range. The Kangaroos were 0-of-4 from beyond the arc in the second half.

The Huskers return to action with a post-Thanksgiving trip to Los Angeles where Nebraska will take on USC on Sunday, Nov. 29, at the Galen Center. NU and USC will tip off at 3:30 p.m. CT (1:30 p.m. PT) and the game can be seen nationally on FSN with Steve Physioc calling the action and Marques Johnson adding color commentary. It will also be heard on the Husker Sports Radio network throughout Nebraska and around the world on Huskers.com.