Huskers Lock Down in Second Half for 72-42 Win over Eastern Washington

Lincoln - Sophomore Brian Jorge Diaz led 11 Huskers in the scoring column with a game-high 14 points as Nebraska held Eastern Washington (3-7) to 21 percent shooting from the field in a 72-43 win Saturday evening at the Devaney Center.

With the victory, the Huskers (9-2) won their seventh straight game and have not dropped a contest since Nov. 19. It matches the Huskers' longest win streak in the Big 12 era, which was set during the 1997-98 campaign.

The 11 scoring Huskers marked the third straight game that NU has had at least 10 players with points. Diaz finished in double figures for the sixth time this season and is averaging a team-high 10.5 points per game in 2010-11. The Caguas, Puerto Rico native scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half on 5-of-6 shooting, as he led the Huskers to a 33-22 halftime lead.

Nebraska shot 50 percent for the game (28-of-56), including 54 percent shooting (15-of-28) in the second half when the Huskers outscored the Eagles, 39-20. Eastern Washington struggled offensively against NU's defense and connected on just 12-of-57 attempts from the field for a season-low 21 percent shooting. It was the lowest shooting percentage by a Husker opponent since the 2002-03 season.

Saturday was a night of firsts for the Huskers, as senior transfer Drake Beranek earned his first career start, while sophomore center Christopher Niemann made his first appearance in a Husker uniform after coming back from two ACL surgeries. Beranek had five points and three rebounds, while Niemann had a bucket with five minutes remaining to give NU a 57-36 lead.

NU extended its 11-point halftime lead to 47-26 just eight minutes into second half as the Huskers held Eastern Washington without a point for five minutes. The Eagles scored just seven points in the first 13 minutes of the second half and shot just 3-of-20 during that stretch. Sophomore guard Ray Gallegos led the burst by scoring all nine of his points in the final 20 minutes.

Nebraska's 39-point second half was a significant turnaround after a slow start to game. The Huskers hit just 1-of-5 field goals to open the contest, while EWU was 1-of-6. Nebraska did not get on the board until four minutes into the game when Lance Jeter went coast-to-coast to tie the contest 2-2 and kick start a 12-3 run. Diaz scored five of next seven points to put NU ahead 9-5, followed by an Eshaunte Jones 3-pointer to make 12-5.

The Huskers used a 9-0 run later in the half to build its double-digit advantage, capped by a Beranek 3-pointer to give NU a 25-14 lead. Jeter would add another trey with 49 seconds left in the first half, as he finished with 11 points. The senior guard was joined by a third Husker in double figures, as junior guard Caleb Walker added 10.

Nebraska looks to continue its winning streak with its last game before Christmas next Tuesday against Grambling. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.