On a night where Shavon Shields reached 1,000 career points, Nebraska enjoyed one of its best offensive nights of the season in posting a 76-60 win over Northwestern Tuesday evening.

Shields became the 26th Husker to reach the 1,000-point mark, as his two free throws with 2:57 left were part of a strong second-half effort. Shields scored seven straight points for the Huskers in the final five minutes to put the game away and finished with 11 points and a career-high seven assists.

While Shields reached a milestone, fellow juniors Terran Petteway and Walter Pitchford provided strong offensive nights, as Nebraska improved to 13-9 and reached the .500 mark in Big Ten play. The Huskers shot 63 percent - the best effort in five seasons - and dished out a season-best 16 assists.

Petteway finished with a game-high 28 points, including four 3-pointers, seven rebounds and four assists, while Pitchford put together his best offensive night in Big Ten play with 14 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, while his defense limited Alex Olah to just three second-half points.

Photo Courtesy Nate Olsen/NU Media Relations

Nebraska shot a season-high 63 percent in the win.

Nebraska took control midway through the half, using a 17-0 run to turn a 41-40 deficit into a 16-point lead. The Huskers bench played a key role in the spurt, as the Husker reserves accounted for nine of the 17 points. David Rivers scored all six of his points in the surge, while Tai Webster's 3-pointer against the Wildcat zone pushed the lead to 16 points with 8:51 remaining.

Nebraska also clamped down on the defensive end, holding the Wildcats without a field goal for 7:34, as Northwestern (10-12, 1-8 Big Ten) shot just 40 percent in the second half after shooting 52.4 percent in the first 20 minutes.

Northwestern cut the deficit to 12 points twice in the final seven minutes, the last being at 61-49 with 5:50 left, but Nebraska answered each time, including a big 3-pointer from Pitchford that pushed it back to 15 points, and Nebraska enjoyed a double-digit lead the remainder of the contest.

Olah led three Wildcats in double figures with 16 points, while Scottie Lindsey and Vic Law chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively. NU held the Northwestern backcourt in check, as Bryant McIntosh scored just three points on 1-of-6 shooting, while Tre Demps finished with just seven points in 35 minutes.

Both teams shot well in the first half, as the Huskers took a 35-33 lead into the locker room. The Huskers shot 59 percent from the floor while Northwestern hit 52 percent from the field, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range.

Nebraska fell behind 5-0 in the first minute, as the Wildcats hit their first two shots from the field, but responded with eight straight points, including 3-pointers from Benny Parker and Petteway.

Petteway, who had 14 first-half points, got going early from beyond the arc, hitting his first four 3-pointers, including consecutive 3-pointers that staked the Huskers their largest lead of the half at 21-13 with 11:42 left in the half.

Northwestern came right back behind the play of Olah, who had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first half. Olah scored all nine points in a 9-2 spurt to pull the Wildcats within 23-22. Benny Parker hit a jumper and a foul shot to push the lead to 26-22 but the Wildcats ran off six straight points, taking a 28-26 lead on JerShon Cobb 3-pointer with 5:58 left in the half.

Nebraska came right back, running off five straight points, as a Shavon Shields layup gave Nebraska a 31-28 lead and forced a Northwestern timeout. NU built a 35-31 lead after a Shields basket, but Olah's putback with two seconds left made it a two-point game at the break.

The Huskers return to action Saturday afternoon, as they travel to Penn State. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (central) and the game will be on ESPNU and the Husker Sports Network.