Kansas Rallies Past Huskers

Lincoln - The Nebraska basketball team saw its 11-game home winning streak snapped Wednesday night, as third-ranked Kansas used a pair of 8-0 second-half runs to erase a one-point halftime deficit and pull away from the Huskers for a  84-72 victory in front of a season-high 12,510 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska led 44-43 at the half thanks to a strong first-half shooting performance, as the Huskers hit eight 3-pointers and shot 55.6 percent from the field. But NU shot only 30.8 percent in the second half while getting outscored 41-28.

Kansas shot the ball well in both halves. The Jayhawks shot 57.8 percent in the game, including 13-of-21 from behind the arc. KU hit 58.3 percent of its shots in the first half and then shot 57.1 percent in the second half when Nebraska went cold. Kansas used the strong shooting to become only the second Big 12 team in the five seasons to score 80 points at the Devaney Center.

Three Jayhawks were in double figures, led by 22 points from Sherron Collins and 19 from Marcus Morris. Tyshawn Taylor and Tyrel Reed each added 11 points, as Kansas rebounded from its first loss of the season to improve to 15-1 on the year and 1-0 within the Big 12 Conference.

Nebraska was led by Brandon Richardson, who scored a career-high 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Richardson was also 2-of-3 from the 3-point line and hit all five of his free throws. Jorge Brian Diaz added 15 points, while Eshuante Jones nailed four 3-pointers to chip in 12 points.

The loss was Nebraska's second straight and 13th in a row to Kansas, as the Huskers fell to 12-5 on the season and 0-2 in Big 12 play.

The game started well for Nebraska, as the Huskers opened the contest on a 12-1 run. Sek Henry grabbed the opening tip and drove in for a layup to ignite the fast start. Ryan Anderson and Jones hit 3-pointers and Diaz scored on back-to-back possessions during the run as Nebraska made five of its first six shots.

Kansas didn't hit its first basket until Collins drilled a 3-pointer to spark a 7-0 run that cut the lead to 12-8 five minutes into the game. The Jayhawks then knocked down a trio of 3-pointers during a 10-0 run that put them in front, 21-17.

Henry ended the run with a 3-pointer before Lance Jeter hit 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game at 21 midway through the period. The lead changed hands three times over the next two minutes, as Kansas drilled two more 3-pointers and Jones hit his third trey of the half for NU.

After Kansas regained the lead at 29-28, the Jayhawks held the lead for nearly five minutes before an Anderson 3-pointer and a Diaz free throw tied the game at 36 with 3:37 remaining in the half. With the score still tied, Collins knocked down a pair of free throws with 14.5 seconds on the clock to give the Jayhawks a two-point lead. But Richardson closed the half with a 3-pointer to send the Huskers into halftime with a 44-43 lead.

The scoring pace slowed to begin the second half, as a Cole Aldrich jumper marked the only points over the first three minutes of the half. Nebraska answered the basket before Collins got loose again and drilled his fourth 3-pointer of the game to give KU a 48-46 lead. The trey sparked Kansas on an 8-0 run that stretched the Jayhawk lead to seven as Nebraska missed six of its first seven shots in the period.

The Huskers answered with an 8-0 run of their own, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers from Jeter and Richardson, to move back in front by a point. But Kansas quickly regained the lead for good and then used back-to-back 3-pointers to spark another 8-0 run that left the Jayhawks in front 65-56 with under nine minutes remaining.

Nebraska scored the next five points to pull back within four before Morris answered with three-point play at the other end. Morris scored four more points following a Husker free throw and Taylor added a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 run that essentially put the game away with Kansas in front 75-62 with 5:24 remaining.

The Huskers would get no closer than 10 the rest of the way, as Kansas closed out its 19th consecutive victory in a conference opener.

Nebraska is back in action on Saturday against Iowa State at the Devaney Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised live in the state of Nebraska on FSN Midwest and will be streamed live on ESPN360.com