Huskers Win 10th Straight, Ride Momentum into Big 12 Opener

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Head Coach Doc Sadler Postgame Audio

Lincoln - Nebraska will take a 10-game winning streak into Big 12 play after the Huskers posted a 68-48 win over Savannah State on Wednesday evening at the Devaney Center.

With the victory, the Huskers (12-2) have held their last four opponents under 50 points, as Iowa State headed to Lincoln this Saturday for the league opener at the Devaney Center at 7 p.m.

Sophomore Jorge Brian Diaz pulled the Huskers out of a slow offensive start scoring all 13 of his points in the second half. Leading only 23-20 at the intermission, Diaz hit 6-of-7 field goals as the Huskers ran away from the Tigers with a 45-28 advantage over the final 20 minutes. Diaz and Andre Almeida teamed up to lead another strong defensive effort as Savannah State hit only 30 percent (17-of-56) from the field. Almeida totaled a season-high five blocked shots and added eight points on 4-of-4 shooting. Junior guard Kamyron Brown scored a season-high nine points, highlighted by a perfect 6-of-6 night from the free-throw line, as the Huskers won their 10th straight game.

Nebraska nearly doubled its scoring output in the second half, coming out of the locker room with an 11-2 spurt over the first 3 and half minutes. That spurt included eight quick points from Diaz on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting in the paint.

Senior guard Drake Beranek connected on Nebraska's first 3-pointer of the game with 13:39 remaining to give the Huskers a 15-point cushion at 39-24. That Nebraska eventually stretched the lead to 20 points at 50-30 on a Eshaunte Jones 3-pointer and cruised to the win, as the Huskers hit 64 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes.

After a slow start from the tipoff, Almeida scored six points on 3-of-3 shooting and tallied a pair of blocks to spark NU to a 16-11 advantage. Savannah State came back to take an 18-16 lead on a Preston Blackmon 3-pointer with 6:26 remaining, while Jovonni Shuler had seven early points. Nebraska trailed Savannah State (2-16) 20-17, but held the Tigers without a field goal for the final 4:46 of the half, scoring the final six points of the half to take a 23-20 lead on a Brandon Ubel layup.

With the win, Nebraska has now won 10 straight games, the longest winning streak by the program since a 10-game win streak during the 1994-95 season. The Huskers also finished the non-conference season on a 24-game home winning streak.

Nebraska opens Big 12 play Saturday when it hosts Iowa State. Tipoff from the Devaney Center is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are available on Huskers.com, by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or at the Devaney Center Box Office.