Buffs Push Past Huskers in Boulder

Boulder, Colo. --- Colorado came out as the aggressor, forcing 16 Husker turnovers and hitting 48.8 percent from the floor, including using a key 10-2 run in the first half before eventually pulling away for a 72-60 victory over Nebraska on Wednesday at the Coors Events Center.

The Buffs posted the third-highest field-goal percentage against the Huskers this season while improving to 2-4 in the Big 12 and 11-9 overall. Nebraska fell for the fifth straight game, dropping to 0-5 in league action for the first time in the Big 12 era while also falling to 12-8 on the season.

Nebraska got off to a sluggish start, posting just one field goal - a Ryan Anderson 3-pointer two minutes into the game - and six turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game. The Huskers didn't pick up their second field goal until Eshaunte Jones had a nice pass over the top into the low post where Jorge Brian Diaz scored easily with 12:31 left in the period. Despite the slow start, the Buffs had not pulled away as that basket cut the deficit to just three points, 9-6.

Neither team gained traction on offense until late in the first period. After NU closed to 18-13 on Jones' 3-pointer with 4:11 to play in the half, Colorado posted quick 10-2 run to stretch the lead to 28-15 with less than two minutes in the half. From there the teams traded 3-pointers with Ray Gallegos and Anderson adding treys to keep the Huskers within 10 at the intermission.

The Huskers' struggle turning the ball over continued throughout the opening half as NU had 13 miscues, surpassing their season average in the first 20 minutes of the game. Colorado converted those Nebraska turnovers into eight points on the other end and led 31-21 despite trailing on the glass, 14-12.

Colorado kept up its hot shooting to open the second half, extending the lead to 15 points, 40-25 on Casey Crawford's 3-pointer with 16:45 to play. CU eventually pushed the lead out to 20 points before the Huskers started to make a comeback.

Nebraska had the same struggles shooting in the second half as it did the first, recording only one field goal in the first six minutes before Jones' trey with 13:48 pulled NU within 44-31. But they started to hit a little better from the field, led by Myles Holley who added three baskets in a row to help the Huskers before coming out with an injury with 11 minutes remaining.

Christian Standhardinger then took his place and picked up the slack, posting 12 of the next 15 points for the Huskers to help NU start chipping into the lead. The German, playing in just his fourth career game, posted a career high in points as he continually charged the lane, where he made 3-of-5 shots and got to the line nine times, making eight.

Buffs made it difficult to mount much of a charge as they continued to get to the free throw line as well, where they hit 17-of-22 in the second half. CU, which hit 21-of-27 in the game, came into the game as one of the top free throw shooting teams in the nation, hitting better than 74 percent on the season.

Nebraska finished the game hitting just 39.6 percent from the field, although they hit a season-high 81 percent (17-of-21) from the free throw line. Colorado's 48.8 percent put them in rare company as they almost became just the third team this season to hit 50 percent from the field against the Huskers, where they would have joined only nationally ranked Kansas and BYU.

Standhardinger led Nebraska with 14 points off the bench as the only Husker in double figures. Anderson finished with nine and Holley had eight points on 3-of-4 shooting off the bench.

Freshman Alec Burks scored a game-high 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 9-of-13 at the line to pace Colorado, while Cory Higgins had 11 points and Nate Tomlinson added 10 points and five assists. CU turned the ball over only 11 times and had 10 steals off the Huskers, who took better care of the ball in the second half, posting only three turnovers after the break.

Nebraska returns home for the start of three home games in a four-game stretch when it plays host to Oklahoma on Saturday, Jan. 30. The Huskers and Sooners will tip off at 12:47 p.m. at the Devaney Center in a game that will be seen on the Big 12 Network and ESPN FullCourt. All Husker games can also be heard on the radio on the Husker Sports Network around Nebraska and around the world on the internet at Huskers.com.