Huskers Cruise Past Wayne State, 75-40

Lincoln – Behind 12 points and 10 rebounds from Isaiah Roby and a solid defensive effort, Nebraska cruised to a 75-40 win over Wayne State Thursday evening at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Roby, who nearly had a double-double in the first half with eight points and eight boards, led a balanced attack that saw James Palmer Jr. reach double figures with 10 points. In addition, four other players had at least eight points while all 12 players who saw action Thursday broke into the scoring column.

The Huskers, who are ranked 25th in the USA Today preseason coaches poll, limited Wayne State to just 23.5 percent shooting, including 5-of-22 from 3-point range and enjoyed a 56-35 advantage on the glass

Wayne State was within 14-9 midway through the first half before Glynn Watson Jr. sparked a 7-0 spurt with a 3-pointer to give NU a 21-9 cushion after a basket from Amir Harris. The Wildcats pulled to within 30-19 after a basket from Nate Thayer, but Nebraska closed the half on a 9-2 run to build an 18-point halftime cushion.

In the second half, the Huskers quickly pushed the lead to 22 after baskets from Palmer and Roby before the Wildcats trimmed the lead back to 19, the last time at 45-26 after a Kendall Jacks basket. NU took over, using a 9-1 run capped by consecutive baskets from Watson, the last of which doubled up the Husker lead at 54-27 with 13:05 left.

Trevin Joseph led Wayne State with eight points, as no other Wildcat had more than five points.

The Huskers open the season next Tuesday evening against Mississippi Valley State in the Lincoln Regional of the Hall of Fame Classic Powered by ShotTracker. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and a limited number of tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or calling 800-8BIGRED.