Huskers Come Back to Defeat Creighton, 59-54

Lincoln - In another tight battle between the state's two Division I programs, Nebraska overcame a 11-point first-half deficit with a hot-shooting second half to defeat Creighton, 59-54, at the Devaney Center on Sunday afternoon.

Junior Brandon Richardson led the Huskers with a season-high 18 points, while junior Caleb Walker grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds, including a critical offensive board with 35 seconds remaining with the Huskers holding on to a one-point lead.  Walker's rebound eventually led to a pair of free throws by senior Lance Jeter to put NU up 57-54.

Creighton (4-4) was unable to connect the tying 3-pointer in the final seconds, as both Kenny Lawson Jr., and Antoine Young missed contested shots from long range. Jeter pulled down the rebound and found a wide open Drake Beranek for a layup at the buzzer.

Trailing 29-21 at halftime, the Huskers exploded out of the locker room to hit 6-of-8 3-pointers in the first seven minutes to take a 43-37 lead. The 22-8 run included three consecutive treys on NU's first three possessions of the second half from Richardson, Jeter and Walker. Richardson scored 10 of his game-high 18 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half alone, as his driving lay-up with 10:06 remaining gave NU a 47-41 lead.

Richardson shot 6-of-12 from the floor, including a career-best 4-of-10 from long range in addition to three rebounds to help the Huskers improve to 6-2 with their fourth straight win. Jeter turned in an all-around strong performance with 12 points, six assists, six rebounds and zero turnovers. His jumper with 4:30 left gave Nebraska a 53-46 advantage, its biggest of the game. Creighton responded with a quick 5-0 run over the next 1:07 but could not regain the lead, as the Huskers held firm in the final minutes.

Coming out of a timeout with 1:37 remaining, Jeter found sophomore Jorge Brian Diaz just outside the right block for an open hook shot to give NU a 55-51 lead, before Kenny Lawson converted an old-fashioned 3-point play on the other end to bring the Jays within 55-54 with 1:06 left. Richardson then misfired on a 3-pointer from the left wing with 35 seconds remaining, but Walker was fouled on the rebound to keep NU's possession. Jeter was eventually fouled with 26 seconds left and calmly knocked down a pair of clutch free-throws to put the Huskers ahead 57-54.

Although Nebraska hit 6-of-13 3-pointers in the second half, it made just 3-of-18 in the first half in a defensive battle in the first 20 minutes. Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the opening frame, with the Huskers shoot just 24 percent (7-of-29), while the Bluejays hit 38 percent (12-of-32). After trailing 11-8, Creighton ended the half on a 21-10 run over the last 8 1/2 minutes, capped by Lawson dunk with 21 seconds remaining.

The Huskers and Bluejays finished with nearly identical shooting numbers, as NU connected on 22-of-59 (37.3) shots, while CU hit 22-of-60 (36.7). The Bluejays outrebounded the Huskers, 41-37.

The win marked Nebraska's third-straight victory over Creighton at the Devaney Center, all under head coach Doc Sadler, its longest stretch since winning 12 straight in Lincoln against the Bluejays from 1977 to 1998.

Nebraska remains at home as part of its 10-game homestand as the Huskers host Alcorn State this Wednesday at the Devaney Center at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit Huskers.com or call 1-800-8-BIG-RED.