Gallegos, Huskers Roll to 10th Win

Lincoln - Behind a career-high 15 points from sophomore guard Ray Gallegos, Nebraska (10-2) matched its longest winning streak since the 1994-95 season with a 79-39 victory over Grambling State Tuesday night at the Devaney Center.

Gallegos was an effective 7-of-10 from the floor and added a pair of assists and rebounds while leading the Huskers to a 53 percent (33-of-62) shooting for the game. He topped his previous career high of 13 against UT-Pan American last year en route to becoming the 10th different Husker to top Nebraska in scoring this season.

Nebraska, which has won eight straight games, also shined on the defense end, holding the Tigers to just 25 percent shooting, as NU held its eighth straight opponent under 60 points, marking the first time that has happened in over 60 years.

The Huskers quickly separated themselves from Grambling with a hot start in the first half. Nebraska created five turnovers in the opening five minutes to get a jump start on another outstanding defensive performance. Meanwhile, senior guard Lance Jeter had the NU offense clicking by scoring four points, grabbing two rebounds and adding an assist and steal as part of Nebraska's 16-0 run to build an early 18-3 lead. The outburst included a crowd-pleasing alley-oop from Jeter to Gallegos at the 12:58 mark.

NU used efficient shot selection early on, as the Huskers hit 9-of-14 shots while holding the Tigers scoreless for nearly eight minutes. The Grambling State scoring drought began just two minutes into the game after Justin Patton hit a 3-pointer to put GSU ahead, 3-2, its only lead of the game. From then on, the Tigers hit only one more trey on the night, finishing 2-of-24 from long distance.

Grambling State's drought ended with 10:39 remaining in the first half to make it an 18-5 game, while Gallegos and Diaz combined for 11 points the rest of the half to guide NU to a 37-18 halftime lead.

Diaz finished with 14 points and matched Gallegos with 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, as the Husker big men outscored Grambling State in the paint, 42-12.

Ten different Huskers scored in the second half alone, as NU extended its 19-point halftime lead to 40 by the final buzzer. Nebraska shot 14-of-22 on two-point field goals in the second half, while Grambling State was an opposite 0-of-12 from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes.

Nebraska had 12 players break into the scoring column and all 12 players that scored also pulled down at least one rebound, as NU held a commanding 48-33 advantage on the glass against the Tigers (2-9).

Peter Robison led Grambling State with 12 points and six rebounds, while no other player had more than seven points.

Nebraska looks to continue its winning streak in 2011, as the Huskers will be off until taking on North Dakota on Sunday, Jan. 2, at 1 p.m. Fans who buy tickets to the NU-UND game can use those tickets for free admission to the Husker women's game against Florida A&M that evening.