• Photo Showcase: NU 71, Texas A&M 60

• Box Score

• Video: Interviews with NU coach Connie Yori, Husker players and the Texas A&M team. See video highlights below the story:



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LINCOLN — Nebraska's Dominique Kelley still isn't quite sure how she threaded that pass through the Texas A&M defense, setting up her team's best scorer for a wide-open layup at the game's most critical moment.

Somehow, though, the NU junior guard took advantage of the over-playing Aggies once again.

With 2:30 left, Kelley found senior Kelsey Griffin, who stopped a 13-4 Aggie spurt by guiding in her easiest two points on a physically demanding afternoon.

It was the play that sealed Nebraska's 71-60 win before 10,889 at the Devaney Center, the type of perimeter-to-post connection that seemed to work all day against its aggressive opponent.

“I don't even know,” Kelley said of the late-game pass. “I saw four or five bodies running at me, so I just dished it off to her and she finished it.”

Kelley and the rest of the Nebraska guards were making similar plays all game long. Kelley finished with five assists. Freshman Lindsey Moore led the team with six.

The deny-first defensive approach of the 12th-ranked Aggies left them vulnerable to back cuts, pick-and-rolls and slips off screens. As long as the Husker guards could get the pass off, their post players found plenty of openings underneath.

All of sophomore Catheryn Redmon’s eight points came inside the paint. Cory Montgomery tied a season high with 18. It wasn’t exactly a formula that No. 4 Nebraska has utilized on this program-best start, but NU coach Connie Yori will take it.

“We have found different ways to win basketball games,” she said. “That’s why we are where we are.”

The Huskers (21-0, 8-0), who now have a comfortable first-place seat atop the Big 12, are usually accurate on the perimeter, which seems to be their preferred method of attack. They came into the game second in the Big 12 in shooting 36.8 percent from 3-point range during conference play.

Yvonne Turner and Montgomery combined to hit the team’s first 3-pointers of the game Saturday, giving Nebraska an early 9-2 lead. But the Huskers missed their next 14.

So they had to make passes to cutting post players to maintain an advantage.

“You’re not going to shoot the 3 well in every game,” Yori said. “We’re good enough at some other spots. ... I thought we did a good job of making interior passes against their jump defense, finding gaps and basically, just sharing the ball.”

But Nebraska still seemed to lack the knockout punch that has been inevitable of late.

Texas A&M (16-5, 4-4) trailed by 14 points when Turner hit a 3-pointer with eight minutes left. But the Aggies never went away, using their athleticism and depth to wear down NU.

They closed the gap to five with three minutes left — right before Kelley and Griffin beat the shot clock with that momentous play.

The Huskers did record their fifth consecutive double-digit win, but they insisted afterward that it wasn’t easy.

“They gave us our money’s worth,” Griffin said. “We just tried to outhustle.”

Texas A&M (16-5, 4-4)..................29 31—60
Nebraska (21-0, 8-0)...........................40 31—71

A&M: Carter 4-18, 0-0 8, Adams 8-16 0-0 18, Buchanan 1-3 0-0 2, White 7-11 0-0 15, Smith 2-7 0-0 4, Bellock 0-0 1-2 1, Baker 3-3 0-0 7, Elonu 1-3 0-0 2, Assarian 0-2 0-0 0, Colson 1-4 0-0 3, Totals 27-67 1-2 60.

NU: Griffin 7-12 7-8 21, Montgomery 7-13 2-2 18, Moore 0-3 0-0 0, Turner 3-11 2-4 11, Kelley 4-8 3-5 11, Neals 0-4 0-0 0, Kuhlmann 0-3 2-2 2, Redmon 4-4 0-0 8, Totals 25-58 16-21 71.

3-point field goals: A&M 5-14 (Adams 2-5, Baker 1-1, Colson 1-1, White 1-3, Carter 0-4), NU 5-22 (Turner 3-10, Montgomery 2-5, Moore 0-1, Kuhlmann 0-2, Neals 0-4). Rebounds: A&M 37 (White 8), NU 40 (Griffin 10). Assists: A&M 9 (Smith, Colson 3). Turnovers: A&M 16, NU 14. Total fouls: A&M 22, NU 12. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None. Attendance: 10,889.

Contact the writer:

402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com


• Video: Highlights from the NU-Texas A&M game:

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