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Dec. 5, 2010
 
Huskers have a 2nd half come back to defeat Creighton.
 
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.

Nebraska Head Coach Doc Sadler On the slow first half "I thought both teams played very, very tentative the first half and I don't know that either team's defense was as good as it looked. Neither team's offense in the first half was real aggressive. I don't know why that was. One reason is probably that we shot 18 3-pointers and Creighton shot 15. If you're shooting all 3-point shots, then obviously you're going to be playing on the perimeter all the time and you're not going to get to the free-throw line and get a chance to get your offense going. I think that had a lot to do with it."

On Creighton getting its lead "They made a little run there in the first half with transition points and second shot opportunities. They did a nice job of doubling our post. It's not that I thought any of the shots that we shot were bad shots; we just couldn't make any of them. I'm just thankful that they didn't either."

On the second half "I think the biggest difference was probably that did a pretty good job on their post defense. We didn't allow (Doug) McDermott and (Kenny) Lawson to get off to a good start or get offensive points after rebounds, and then we started making shots. Any time you make shots, it looks a lot better than what it is."

On if the 3-pointers to start the second half was the turning point "There's no question. They were definitely going to make us shoot it, and at least we weren't showing the tentativeness that we had shown in the past of jumping up and shooting it. No question about it, making those three baskets was probably good for our spirit, and it got the crowd into the game. I can't imagine sitting there as a crowd watching that first half. That's hard to get into."

On how you change taking so many 3-pointers "You have to make some shots because as long as they continue to get four guys into the lane, then you're going to have to end up taking some 3-point shots. I'm not for sure that any of them were bad shots, but if you shoot 46 percent in the first half from 3-point range, then I doubt they continue to double the post in the second half."

Senior point guard Lance Jeter On the start to the second half "In the first half we weren't making anything, but in the second half, we turned it around and it felt good. The coaches were preaching to us that we could all shoot, they just weren't going in. We came out in the second half confident and they doubled the post so we needed to step up and we did."

On how the slow first halves have affected the team "I think it's a mental thing. You just have to come out in the first half the same way we do in the second half, with a little bit of urgency. We do come out with urgency but when our shots don't fall I feel that we forget about defense sometimes too, so we don't play a complete game. It's just a mental thing. We just have to come out and play hard in the first five minutes."

On if shooting is contagious "Definitely. Brandon Richardson stepped up today with his 3-pointers. He is a really good shooter. When he shoots he can shoot with the best of them. He was hitting and Caleb Walker was getting some good shots and Eshaunte Jones hit some. Everybody played a role and I feel like we succeeded today."

On how tough it is to stay in games when both teams are struggling "It's not that hard. We knew what our problem was while we weren't playing good. We felt good in the second half and we wanted to put a show on for the crowd today."

Junior guard Brandon Richardson On how they can fix the early problems before conference play "We can't have those kind of mess-ups. They had five offensive rebounds and we gave up six transition baskets, so that's something we have to fix before next game."

On if they feel they are getting good shots in the first half "Yeah, they just aren't falling. Coach Sadler said we are getting good shots, they just weren't dropping. He said if I stopped shooting he would take me out, so I kept shooting and got more confident."

On if there is an extra sense of satisfaction beating the in-state rival "It actually feels good. We can say we have bragging rights, so we can carry that until the next time we play."

Notes *-Nebraska started the same lineup (Jeter, Richardson, Walker, Ubel and Diaz) for the third consecutive game.

*-Nebraska improves to 42-1 against non-conference foes at home and has won 18 straight dating back to the 2008-09 season

*-Nebraska has won the last three home games against Creighton and improves to 16-5 all-time against CU at home. NU's three-game home-win streak against Creighton is the Huskers longest since a 12-game home streak from 1977 to 1998.

*-Brandon Richardson's 18 points was a season high and marked the second straight game he has topped his previous 2010-11 high (10 points vs. Jackson State). Richardon's four 3-pointers is a career high, besting his previous high of three, done on three other occasions, most recently against Kansas on Jan. 12, 2010.

*-Nebraska committed a season-low eight turnovers against Creighton, as the Huskers' previous low was 12 against Jackson State.

*-Lance Jeter had six assists and no turnovers in Sunday's win and has a 16-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in his last three games.

*-Nebraska overcame an 11-point 1st-half deficit (27-16 with 2:49 left in the first half), marking the ninth time under Sadler and second this season the Huskers have overcome a double-digit deficit.

*-Nebraska was 6-of-13 from 3-point range in the second half, after going 3-for-18 in the first half. NU hit its first three-pointers after halftime to help erase an 8-point deficit.

*- Caleb Walker pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds, topping his previous best of 7 rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 15

*-Nebraska's 31 3-pt attempts is the 4th most by a Sadler coached team at NU and the most since shooting 33 vs. Baylor on 2/21/07.

* - The win marked the second time in the past three games Nebraska has overcome a double-digit 1st-half deficit to win. On Nov. 27, the Huskers trailed USC by 20 points before defeating the Trojans, 60-58.

Source: University of Nebraska Athletic Dept.