Late Husker Rally Comes Up Just Short

Manhattan, Kan. --- Nebraska scored nine straight points in less than 30 seconds to tie the game at 87-all in the final minute, but Kansas State hit a pair of free throws and forced the Huskers' 20th turnover of the night as the No. 7 Wildcats held on for a wild 91-87 victory at Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday.

Nebraska, which hit a season-high 58.3 percent from the field including a season-best 14 3-pointers, trimmed the lead all the way down after holding KSU without a field goal for the final four minutes of the game. Instead, NU forced the Wildcats into 14 free throws attempts in that span, which they promptly hit each time, forcing the Huskers to come up big at the end.

Right on cue, Ryan Anderson and Company responded in kind.

With Nebraska trailing 87-78 on the second of Martavious Irving's free throws, redshirt freshman Eshaunte Jones drained a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left in the contest to cut the deficit to six points. Husker pressure on the inbounds forced KSU's Jamar Samuels to travel and set off a chain reaction as Anderson drilled the first of two 3-pointers just 13 seconds apart, sandwiched around another Wildcat turnover.

Anderson's fifth 3-pointer of the night tied the game at 87 until a foul on KSU's Chris Merriwether gave the Wildcats what turned out to be the winning free throws. Following the charity shots and with 25 seconds remaining, the Huskers ran down the clock before senior Sek Henry drove the lane in the final seconds.

Henry was stripped of the ball but freshman Ray Gallegos regained possession for Nebraska, only to see his pass around the top of the key intercepted by KSU's Jacob Pullen. The junior Wildcat guard sent an outlet pass to Denis Clemente for a layup with less than three seconds remaining to account for the final four-point margin.

The loss came in Nebraska's school-record fifth consecutive game against a ranked opponent and its second straight against a top-15 team on the road. The Huskers fell to 13-13 on the year and 1-10 in league play while the Wildcats, who had their highest nationally ranking in several decades, improved to 21-4 overall and 8-3 in league action.

Kansas State got in position for the late lead after rattling off a 15-0 run earlier in the second period after Nebraska ran out to a nine-point advantage and had all the momentum on its side.

The Huskers went ahead 51-42 on Lance Jeter's layup with 16:57 to play. The basket capped an 11-3 Nebraska run to open the frame and forced a Wildcat timeout, one that proved fruitful as KSU held NU without a point for the next 6:31.

KSU looked to be pulling away for good during the stretch that Dominique Sutton started with a 3-pointer. Kansas State added two more free throws before Clemente took over, hitting a pair of treys a minute apart and adding two free throws following an NU bench technical. Clemente capped his surge with another 3-pointer and Sutton added a layup that forced a Husker timeout.

Anderson quickly posted a pair of 3-pointers to get Nebraska back within one point, 58-57, with 9:44 to play, but KSU's guards continued to make big plays. This time it was Pullen's long offensive rebound and immediate 3-point swish following a missed Clemente trey attempt that looked to push KSU back ahead for good.

But the Huskers -- who had struggled the past two games from long range, hitting just 6-of-39 behind the arc - kept their composure and continued to bomb away with Ray Gallegos's 3-pointer at the 7:06 mark keeping Nebraska within two, 63-61. Quincy Hankins-Cole's basket at the 5:56 mark got NU within a basket again but KSU responded with a quick 9-1 run to grab its largest lead of the game at 10 points, 75-65, at the 4:09 mark on Clemente's last 3-pointer before Nebraska's late, wild push quieted the Wildcat crowd.

The Huskers finished the game hitting 58.3 percent from the field including 63.6 percent in the first half. They added season highs with 23 assists and 14 3-pointers while being out rebounded by just one, 29-28. Nebraska's Achilles heel ended up being turnovers, however, as the Huskers also had a season-high tying 20 miscues.

Anderson led Nebraska with a season-high 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including a season-best five 3-pointers. Brandon Richardson, who returned to the starting lineup, added 15 points before fouling out and Lance Jeter added the Huskers' third double-double of the year with 12 points and a career-best 12 assists.

Clemente and Sutton each had 21 points and Pullen added 18, helping Kansas State hit 46.3 percent from the floor and 80 percent at the free throw stripe. KSU hit 32-of-40 free throw attempts as Nebraska was called for 27 fouls. The Huskers also were strong at the line, hitting 17-of-23 attempts.

Nebraska scored its most points in a conference road game since an overtime game at Colorado in 2001 after coming out on fire in the first half. The Huskers scorched the nets by hitting 63.6 percent in the opening period but led by just a point, 40-39, as Kansas State held a 17-10 advantage on the glass, including 10 offensive rebounds.

The Cornhuskers trailed 9-4 in the early going but Jeter's three-point play and Anderson's first 3-pointer pulled NU within one, 11-10. Nebraska took its first lead of the game at 15-14 on an acrobatic Richardson layup, which helped NU hit 13 of its first 18 shots of the game.

In a game that saw the Huskers lose while scoring at least 80 points for the first time in six years (84-83 at Hawaii in 2004 NIT), defense actually played a key part in the early going. Nebraska held the Wildcats to just one field goal for more than seven minutes midway through the opening period to take early control of the contest. The defensive work helped the Huskers roll out to a 10-point lead on Jones' 3-pointer with 8:30 to play before halftime.

Nebraska's 40 first-half points were their most in a period since Jan. 13 when they led then-No. 3 Kansas 44-43 at the half. That period against KU was also the most points in league play by the Huskers until the second half Wednesday, when Nebraska posted a season-high 47 points. NU's 63.6 percent in the first period was its best in league play and second-highest of the season.

Following the loss, Nebraska will try to regroup when it plays host to Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Devaney Center. The Huskers and Tigers will tip off at 5 p.m. in a game seen in select markets around the country on the Big 12 Network, as well as nationally on ESPN FullCourt.