Huskers Overcome 20-point Deficit to Defeat Trojans, 60-58

Lincoln - Nebraska trailed by as much as 20 points and did not take its first lead until under five minutes remaining, as the Huskers matched their largest comeback in school history with a 60-58 win over USC in the opening game of the 2010 Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series on Saturday evening at the Devaney Center.

Sophomore center Jorge Brian Diaz scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the second half to lead the Huskers back from a 39-26 halftime deficit. Nebraska, which surrendered 39 first-point points, held USC to 19 second-half points on 28 percent (8-of-29) shooting from the field. Nebraska's strong defensive effort over the last 20 minutes included five blocks and four steals, as the Huskers created opportunities.

"We made some shots (in the second half), but the biggest thing with this team was that they found a way in the last five minutes to come back and win a game," Nebraska Head Coach Doc Sadler said. "I think that is huge. We were down 20 in the first half, and I'm not sure the toughness would have been there a year ago. We just kept going and the guys just kept competing and that is a credit to them."

The Huskers 20-point deficit matched a school record set against Kansas State on Jan. 15, 1997, and easily topped the previous largest deficit overcome in Sadler's five seasons, which was 14 points last year against TCU.

Diaz hit his first four shots of the second half and connected on 7-of-11 attempts in the game to go along with two blocks and one steal. Nebraska cut the halftime deficit to 10 points to 43-33 just 3 ½ minutes into the second half on a Brandon Richardson lay-up that resulted from back-to-back blocks from Diaz on the defensive end. Less than two minutes later, Diaz grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a short hook shot to make it 46-37 before a steal from  Drake Beranek led to Jeter lay-up, cutting the deficit to 46-39 and forcing USC to call a timeout.

Jeter put together one of the best games of his career, finishing with 13 points, a career-high eight rebounds and five assists without a turnover in 34 minutes. Another junior college transfer, junior Caleb Walker, had 10 points, including two key 3-pointers later in the first half to start the comeback, and five rebounds.

Down 46-39, Walker tipped in a missed Jeter three-pointer before Beranek ignited the Devaney Center crowd with a three-pointer from the right wing to make it 46-44 with 13 minutes remaining.

USC extending its lead back to six points at 55-49 until a three-pointer from sophomore guard Eshaunte Jones hit a three-pointer to cut that margin in half (55-52) with 7:34 remaining in the game.

The Huskers held the Trojans to just eight points in the final 10 minutes. The tough defense allowed Nebraska to take its first lead of the game, at 56-55 on a pair of Walker free throws with 4:47 remaining. Jeter added a lay-up after a Diaz steal on USC's ensuring possession, while NU increased its lead to 60-55 following an 18-foot jumper from Christian Standhardinger with 2:21 left.

After USC's Maurice Jones converted a three-point play with seven seconds remaining to make it 60-58, Nebraska missed the front end of its 1-and-1 free throw situation for the second time, but Jones' three-point attempt at the buzzer fell short to give the Huskers its thrilling 60-58 win.

Nebraska's large first half deficit was due to a struggling shooting effort from the field, as the Huskers shot just 42 percent (10-of-24) to USC's 57 percent (17-of-30). That helped the Trojans build a 10-2 lead out of the gate, as NU connected on just one of its first 11 attempts. USC had seven players score in the first half and built a 20-point lead (37-17) with two minutes remaining before Walker led the Huskers on a 9-2 run to close the half and pull NU within 13 points at the intermission. Walker hit a pair of three-pointers with under 90 seconds remaining. Jeter had eight points in the first half, while Diaz added four.

The Trojans were connecting on all cylinders in the first half, including 5-of-10 shooting from three-point range. Alex Stepheson led USC (4-3) with 14 points and nine rebounds, while NU limited Nikola Vucevic to just five points, on 2-of-15 shooting.

Nebraska continues its 10-game homestand this Wednesday when the Huskers host Jackson State at 7 p.m.