COLUMBIA, Mo. — One-fourth of the way through the Big 12 men's basketball season, Nebraska has proven it can play OK for about 31 to 35 minutes a game.

In a league as good as the Big 12, all that gets you is a spot alone in last place.

The Huskers tumbled to the cellar Saturday when a three-point game with nine minutes left turned into a 70-53 loss to Missouri, which stretched its home winning streak to 31 games.

“We've done the same thing the last four games,” said guard Sek Henry, who led NU with 15 points. “The last six or seven minutes of the game, we go on a scoring drought. It's time for that to stop.''

The sequence of events has become uncannily familiar for NU (12-7, 0-4):

• At Texas A&M, Nebraska led by one point with 9:09 to play, but lost 64-53.

• Against Kansas, Nebraska trailed by four points with 7:26 left, but lost 84-72.

• Against Iowa State, Nebraska was tied with 3:06 to play, but lost 56-53.

And in front of a sellout crowd at Mizzou Arena, the Huskers trailed by only two points at halftime and were within three, 47-44, as the clock ticked inside nine minutes.

“You're right where you want to be against Missouri on the road,'' Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said. Then the Tigers (15-4, 3-1), who are receiving Top 25 votes, went on a 23-9 run.

In an effort to avoid such late-game letdowns, Sadler said he's willing to try about anything.

“I don't know what it is though,'' he said. “I tried different guys tonight. We had some guys step up who did some nice things.''

True freshman guard Ray Gallegos, who had played 16 minutes in the first three Big 12 games combined, had eight points and a rebound in 17 minutes against Missouri.

Also, junior forward Quincy Hankins-Cole, who hadn't played at all for three games, got seven minutes and little-used Myles Holley played 12, in part because freshman Christian Standhardinger served a one-game suspension for an academic issue.

But the result was the same, even though the game played out deep into the second half just as Sadler had hoped.

He wanted to stifle MU's 82-point-a-game offense by packing the lane defensively, forcing 3-pointers and not fouling. In the Tigers' first three Big 12 games, they averaged 33 free throws.

Entering the final nine minutes, Missouri was 7 of 24 on 3s (29.1 percent) and had attempted only 10 free throws.

Then came a killer sequence for Nebraska.

Two Missouri free throws boosted the lead to 49-44. On the next possession, NU guard Brandon Richardson's basket was nullified when his spin move in the lane was ruled a travel, sending Sadler wildly off the bench to argue.

Missouri's Lawrence Bowers followed with a putback. A Hankins-Cole free throw kept NU within six points, but MU guard Miguel Paul's three-point play and a Henry turnover against the press started the Nebraska slide as Missouri's athleticism took over.

Last week, Sadler said “you can't score 53 points in this league and win,'' which is exactly what the Huskers produced again Saturday.

“You guys who are at practice know we're spending more time on shooting than I think any team I've ever had,” he said. “Until you get a low post game consistently, it's hard to score.”

Husker big men Jorge Brian Diaz, Brandon Ubel and Hankins-Cole combined for five points and five rebounds in 39 minutes.

Such statistics indicate why Sadler spent last Sunday, Monday and Tuesday on the road recruiting. But don't interpret that to mean the Huskers are thinking only about next season.

“This is not the team that's going to give up,'' Henry said. “But it's frustrating. The whole team is frustrated about the loss. We know we should have won this game.”

Contact the writer:

444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com

« Sports - Big Red Today

Share