Huskers Earn First-Round Win at Big 12 Championship

Kansas City - Sophomore Brandon Richardson scored a career-high 19 points to lead four Huskers in double figures as No. 12-seed Nebraska ran past No. 5-seed Missouri, 75-60, in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

The Huskers became the second No. 12 seed in the Big 12 era to win on the opening day of the tournament, joining Colorado, which knocked off No. 5-seed Baylor in two overtimes in 2008. Nebraska didn't need the extra sessions, however, as it came out hitting on all cylinders right from the start.

Richardson started the game with a 3-pointer less than a minute into the contest and the Huskers never trailed. Senior Ryan Anderson also had a hot hand early, posting seven points in the first seven minutes. Nebraska led by double figures for the first time with less than eight minutes off the clock, taking a 20-9 lead on Eshaunte Jones' first 3-pointer of the day and Missouri never cut the lead back to single digits the rest of the way.

The quick start helped the Huskers surpass their first-half total (19 points) from Saturday's regular-season finale at Oklahoma State in less than eight minutes. Unlike many games this season, Nebraska never let up Wednesday as Jones' trey was part of a 11-0 Husker run that put the game essentially out of reach.

Nebraska led by as many as 17 points, 26-9, at the end of the burst and continued the torrid shooting throughout the first half. The Huskers hit 59.1 percent from the field in the opening frame, including drilling 5-of-10 attempts from 3-point range while running out to a 39-28 halftime advantage.

Richardson then took over in the second half, scoring 14 of his game-high points after the break. His biggest points - and the Huskers' defining basket of the game - came with 3:36 to play in the contest as he drained a long 3-pointer while being fouled. His four-point play snapped an 8-0 Tiger run as Missouri pulled back to within 10 points. More importantly, the bucket also ended a more than six minute scoring draught for Nebraska.

Behind Richardson's dramatic play, the Huskers staved off the Tigers for the second time in three years at the league tournament, giving Nebraska coach Doc Sadler his second win at the championship. Overall, it was the Huskers' sixth win at the league tourney in the Big 12 era, and the 16th since the start of postseason play following the 1977 season.

The Huskers finished the game hitting 55.8 percent (24-of-43) from the field, their second-highest percentage of the season. NU drained 8-of-14 3-point attempts (57.1 percent) and hit a season-high 86.4 percent (19-of-22) from the free throw line.

The renewed offensive efficiency helped four Huskers finish in double figures as Nebraska scored its highest point total in the conference tournament since winning the 1994 Big Eight title with 77 points in the championship game. Along with Richardson, Anderson had 16 points and nine rebounds, pushing Nebraska to a 38-22 rebounding advantage, while Lance Jeter and Jorge Brian Diaz each had 10 points. Jeter and Richardson also each finished with seven rebounds apiece and Jeter had six assists and two steals.

On the defensive end, Nebraska mixed in some zone while getting back to its traditional man-to-man defense that had become a trademark of Sadler's teams at Nebraska. The mix worked well as the Huskers held Missouri to 33.9 percent shooting, with Zaire Taylor and Kim English, two of the Tigers' top scoring threats, combining to hit just 4-of-25 shots from the field. Missouri had only four turnovers, but the Huskers' 13 turnovers were outshined by their 17 assists on 24 baskets with simple back-door cuts leading to many easy baskets.

With the win, the Huskers move into Thursday's quarterfinal round against No. 4 seed Texas A&M at 2 p.m. at the Sprint Center. The game will be seen in select markets around the country on the Big 12 Network and nationally on ESPN FullCourt. It can also be viewed online at ESPN360.com and can be heard on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network and Huskers.com.