EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Shavon Shields earned a day of rest.

Shields scored 28 points, playing through hip pain, and Denzel Valentine missed a shot near the top of the key just before the buzzer to allow Nebraska to hold on for a 72-71 win over No. 11 Michigan State on Wednesday night.

“He got banged pretty hard,” Cornhuskers coach Tim Miles said. “The first thing he said to me after the game is, `Coach, I’m going to need the day off.’ He never asks for a day off, so I knew he was hurting.”

The Cornhuskers (12-8, 4-3 Big Ten) have won four straight, three on the road. They’ve also won three straight against the Spartans.

“That’s really big for our program,” Shields said. “They’re a great team.”

Michigan State (17-4, 3-4) has lost three straight and suddenly looks nothing like the top-ranked team it was earlier in the season.

“There’s blood in the water right now,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. “The sharks are coming.”

Shields, who left the game with a hip injury in the first half and came back to play after halftime, made a shot to put Nebraska ahead by eight points with 2:31 left.

“I honestly didn’t think I could play,” he said.

Nebraska’s Glynn Watson scored 13 and Tai Webster had 10 points and missed a free throw with four seconds left that gave the Spartans an opportunity to avoid another loss, but they couldn’t make the most of the opportunity.

The Spartans pulled within two with 45.8 seconds to go when Eron Harris made a 3-pointer. Shields made a floater over Valentine on the ensuing possession. Valentine’s 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left cut the deficit to one point, but he couldn’t connect on one more shot to win for a second straight game after grabbing a rebound off a missed free throw and dribbling up the court.

“They deserved to win that game,” Valentine said.

The senior guard also failed to make a jumper that could’ve given Michigan State a win Sunday at Wisconsin. Valentine finished with 24 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Deyonta Davis had 13 points and seven points for the Spartans, who made just 42 percent of their shots from the field and 12 of 21 at the line.

TIP-INS

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers got some relatively good news at halftime when Shields was cleared to return to the game. The senior forward hurt his hip with four-plus minutes left in the first half, and had to be helped off the court as he kept weight off his right foot. Shields showed he was healthy in the second half, making a pair of go-ahead baskets in the opening minute. Midway through the second half, he had his right hip stretched on the sideline before going back in the game slightly hobbled. The next time Nebraska had the ball, he scored a three-point play on a driving layup and free throw to put Nebraska ahead 64-56 with eight-plus minutes left. Shields left the game again, briefly, to get his hip stretched before going back on the court. “I just told him at halftime, `If you don’t feel like you can go, you’re not letting us down,” Miles recalled. “But boy, did he go.”

Michigan State: The Spartans are struggling in part because Bryn Forbes has lost his shooting touch, especially at home. He was 1 of 8 against Nebraska and scored three points, one home game after going 0 for 5 and scoring just two points in a 17-point loss to Iowa. “He had good shots,” Izzo said. “He won’t miss those shots again. I feel sorry for that kid.” Forbes had a chance to pull Michigan State within a point, but missed an open 3-pointer with just less than three minutes left. Shields made a shot on the ensuing possession to give the Cornhuskers a 68-62 lead.

UP NEXT

Nebraska hosts Michigan on Saturday.

No. 11 Michigan State hosts No. 7 Maryland on Saturday night. “We’ve got to find a way to bounce back for a big game,” Izzo said.

STREAKS: The Cornhuskers have won three straight conference games on the road for the first time since 1998 when they were in the Big 12. Nebraska has made at least half of its shots in four straight games for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

— Associated Press —

The University of Nebraska has agreed to four marquee non-conference football games against Power Five opponents. The Huskers have finalized contracts to play two games against the University of Oklahoma and two games with the University of Arizona.

“We are pleased to finalize agreements with two outstanding programs for future non-conference contests,” Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst said. “We are committed to playing an outstanding schedule each year that brings value to both our student-athletes and the greatest fans in college football.

“The Nebraska-Oklahoma matchup is truly one of the legendary rivalries in the history of college football, and to now have four scheduled meetings in a decade will be great for both programs. The Arizona series will be another outstanding home-and-home matchup against a high-caliber Power Five opponent and will provide a road game destination that will appeal to Nebraska fans.”

The two games against the Sooners are set for 2029 and 2030, and are in addition to previously announced contests with Oklahoma in 2021 and 2022. The two traditional national powers and former conference rivals have not played since 2010, but are now set to meet four times in 10 seasons.

The new two-game series will begin with a game in Norman on Sept. 15, 2029, with the Sooners set to return to Lincoln on Sept. 14, 2030. The two games that were previously announced in 2012 are set for Sept. 18, 2021, at Oklahoma and Sept. 17, 2022, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

The Huskers and Sooners have a long history on the gridiron with 86 all-time meetings. Oklahoma holds a 45-38-3 edge all-time, but Nebraska has won nine of the past 15 meetings.

Nebraska and Arizona have also agreed to play two non-conference games, beginning with a game at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 16, 2028. The Huskers will make a return trip to Tucson to face the Wildcats on Sept. 13, 2031.

The two games with Arizona will be Nebraska’s first regular-season matchup with the Wildcats since the teams tied in Lincoln in 1961. The schools split a pair of matchups in the Holiday Bowl, including a Nebraska victory in 2009.

Nebraska has several non-conference games scheduled against Pac-12 opponents in the upcoming seasons. Including the two contests with Arizona, the Huskers are scheduled to play eight regular-season games against Pac-12 foes, beginning with a home-and-home series with Oregon in 2016 and 2017. Nebraska also has four games scheduled with Colorado between 2018 and 2024.

With the four marquee games added to the Huskers’ future schedules, Nebraska now has at least one non-conference game scheduled for each season through 2031. Beginning with the 2016 season, Nebraska will play three non-conference games in addition to a nine-game Big Ten Conference schedule.

— NU Athletics —

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — On offense Saturday, Andrew White III started slowly. He hit just one shot from the field in the first half and went to the locker room with six points.

But he also had a half dozen rebounds — something to build on.

White finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Cornhuskers (11-8, 3-3 Big Ten) by Illinois, 78-67.

“I think mainly what got me going was getting on offensive rebounds,” White said. “My rebounding on both ends was what sparked my offensive game.

The win was Nebraska’s third in four games.

Illinois (10-9, 3-3) has lost four of its last five and continued to miss injured big men Mike Thorne Jr. and Leron Black.

Both are out for the season and, without them, the Illini have struggled on the boards and to create any sort of inside offense. On Saturday, that left the Illini to launch 3-pointers, 37 of them in all, 62 percent of their 59 shots. They made just 11.

Illinois coach John Groce said his team should never have taken that many long-range shots.

“No. Shot selection was awful,” he said. “It was terrible.”

Glynn Watson Jr. scored 17 for Nebraska while Tai Webster added 16 and Shavon Shields 14.

Nebraska used a 17-2 run to go up by 10 points late in the first half and never trailed over the game’s final 28 minutes.

Malcolm Hill led Illinois with 17 points and seven assists. Kendrick Nunn added 15 points.

With 14:05 left in the game and Illinois trying to claw its way back, White drained a 3-pointer that pushed Nebraska out to a 51-39 lead, matching the Cornhuskers’ largest lead of the game to that point.

Nebraska outrebounded the Illini 42-24.

The absence of Thorne and Black has left the Illini short on big bodies, and their disadvantage on the boards has been glaring most of the season. Opponents have outrebounded Illinois 659-569 on the season.

“I felt like we had to win the paint to win the game,” Nebraska coach Tim Miles said “Because Thorne’s hurt, they don’t have a rim protector like (former Illinois center Nnanna) Egwu in the old days.”

Illinois’ frustration was obvious Saturday against a Cornhusker team that started no one taller than 6-foot-7.

“I hate to say,” said 6-10 forward Michael Finke, the tallest player on the Illinois roster. “That’s inexcusable.”

He finished with three rebounds and 11 points, nine of them on 3-pointers.

Illinois had closed the Nebraska lead to eight points on a 3-pointer by Nunn with six minutes to play and breathed life into what had been a mostly grumbling crowd.

But at the other end, Nebraska used a pair of offensive boards to turn a pair of misses into a pair of third-chance points from White that pushed the lead back to 10 at 67-57 and quieted the State Farm Center.

Nebraska went on a 17-2 run late in the first half that turned the game, opening up a double-digit lead in what had been a tight, back-and-forth contest.

A pair of free throws from Webster put the Huskers up 33-23 with 4:05 left in the half.

Illinois’ answer at the other was a quick, baseline 3-point attempt by Nunn that missed the basket by at least 3 feet.

“Jack a 3, might as well,” one fan yelled.

TIP-INS

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers have struggled to take care of the ball this season, averaging 13.5 turnovers coming into the game. They were better Saturday, with 10.

Illinois: Nunn, usually a starter when he is healthy, did not start Saturday. Groce said he came off the bench because of an unspecified violation of team rules.

IN THE PAINT

While Illinois relied on 3-pointers and scored just 20 points in the paint, Nebraska, even with a small lineup, quietly made the most of its inside game and the lack of an Illini presence inside. The Cornhuskers scored 34 points in the paint.

“And we’re a team of slashers,” Miles said. “It’s what we do.”

ILLINOIS CONNECTION

Watson and Ed Morrow Jr. are both from Illinois, and sparked the Cornhuskers early. They combined for 11 points over the first nine minutes.

But Watson has direct ties to the Illini. Former Illinois star Demetri McCamey is his older brother and current Illini guard D.J. Williams was his teammate last season at Simeon High School in Chicago.

Illinois never made an offer to Watson, but he deflected questions Saturday about whether that offered any motivation.

“No, I just stick to the game plan,” he said. “That was about it.”

UP NEXT

Nebraska visits No. 4 Michigan State on Wednesday.

Illinois visits Indiana on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Shavon Shields scored 19 of his 24 points in the first half and Nebraska rolled to an 84-59 win over Minnesota on Tuesday night.

The Cornhuskers’ 25-point margin of victory is their largest against Minnesota in a 64-game series that dates to 1902.

Andrew White III added 15 points for Nebraska (10-8, 2/3 Big Ten).

Jordan Murphy led Minnesota (6-11, 0-5) with 12 points. Joey King chipped in 10 points.

Nebraska trailed 8-4 early then solved the Minnesota zone with a 29-4 run. The Cornhuskers went up 10 on Shields’ layup off an over-the-head assist from Glynn Watson Jr. with 9:45 left, and took a 33-12 lead on Michael Jacobson’s free throws with 6:29 remaining in the half.

Nebraska scored 12 of its first-half points off nine Minnesota turnovers, and outrebounded the Gophers 22-9 in the period.

— Associated Press —

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — In a collision of Big Ten losing streaks, Nebraska ended its slide thanks to another big effort by Andrew White.

As an added bonus, the Huskers got their largest road win in 95 years and gave Rutgers its worst home loss in 54 years.

White had 28 points and nine rebounds to pace the Huskers past Rutgers, 90-56, Saturday night.

The margin of victory was the highest in a road game for Nebraska since defeating Morningside, 50-13, on Feb. 25, 1920. It also snapped a three-game losing skid and 11-game conference losing streak for the Huskers (9-8, 1/3 Big Ten).

“It’s kind of good to get that weight off of our shoulders, hopefully that will give us a little momentum going into the next one,” said White, who shot 11 of 14 and 5 of 7 on 3-pointers. “We executed well at both ends so I think this should give everybody some confidence going forward. If we win this one and go on another losing streak it doesn’t serve its purpose well.”

Glynn Watson scored 12 for the Huskers, while Shavon Shields added 11 and Ed Morrow had 10.

Rutgers (6-11, 0-4) has lost four straight and 19 straight conference games dating back to last season. The Knights suffered their largest home loss since falling to St. Joe’s, 102-66, on Dec. 6, 1961.

Mike Williams scored 22 for the Knights, who were never in it. Rutgers fell behind 14-2 and 24-7 and got no closer than nine.

“Obviously this was a very tough loss,” said coach Eddie Jordan, who’s missing four frontcourt players to injury. “There were moments in the game where I was disappointed in their effort and that hasn’t happened this season. When you’re fighting and you’re small, there comes a time where it’s hard to overcome and it screws with your psyche.”

Nebraska made its first six shots and 7 of its first 8 en route to a 21-7 edge, and remained in control throughout. Leading 31-22, Nebraska went on a 15-4 run over the final 5:57 to open a 46-26 lead at the break. The Huskers largest advantage was 83-47.

White, who red-shirted last year after two seasons at Kansas, had 19 points at halftime to spark the blowout.

“I’d say this is his best game of the season,” coach Tim Miles said. “He’s had other very strong nights, but when you get nine rebounds and 28 points … and every time we needed a lift, he provided it.”

In shooting 57 percent (37 of 65), Nebraska hit its highest point total since joining the Big Ten, and its highest total in any conference game since 2006.

—-

TIP-INS

Nebraska: The Huskers last Big Ten win was Feb. 3, 2015 against Northwestern. Nebraska hit at least 70 points for the 10th time this season, one better than all of last year. The Huskers lead the series 3-2.

Rutgers: The Knights have not won a Big Ten game since beating No. 4 Wisconsin on Jan. 11, 2015. This equaled Rutgers worst loss of the season as it fell by 34 to George Washington. The Knights, Minnesota and Illinois are the lone teams without a Big Ten win.

Honoring the past: Prior to the game, Rutgers held a moment of silence for former coach Bill Foster, who died Thursday at 86 following a lengthy illness. Foster guided Rutgers to the 1967 NIT semifinals, the Knights first post-season appearance. At halftime, Rutgers celebrated the 40th Anniversary of its 1975-76 Final Four team, with head coach Tom Young and every player, manager and assistant coach from that team in attendance.

UP NEXT

Nebraska hosts Minnesota Tuesday.

Rutgers is at Ohio State Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — After enduring one of the most challenging stretches of the season, Maryland coach Brenda Frese was proud that her team responded with its “most complete game.”

Malina Howard scored 15 points and No. 8 Maryland routed Nebraska 89-50 on Thursday night.

Maryland rebounded from losses to No. 1 UConn and No. 5 Ohio State last week. The setback to the Buckeyes snapped the Terrapins’ 31-game winning streak against Big Ten foes dating to 2007.

“We were ready to go from the tip,” Frese said. “I thought it showed great character. We had a lot of fun. You could see that. We got a lot better tonight.”

Brene Moseley added 14 points, and Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough each had 11 for Maryland (13-2, 2-1). Tierney Pfirman was 5 of 7 from the field and finished with 10 points for the Terrapins.

Allie Havers, Jasmine Cincore and Maddie Simon each had nine points for Nebraska (9-5, 0-3). The Cornhuskers were 16 of 53 (30.2 percent) from the field.

Pfirman’s jumper capped a 10-0 run and Maryland led 24-12 with 7:30 left in the second quarter. Nebraska made just five of its opening 23 shots and had no answer for Maryland’s inside game.

Back-to-back layups and a 3-pointer by Walker-Kimbrough extended the lead to 46-21 at the break.

Maryland scored eight points off 12 turnovers in the opening half.

“Our transition was really good,” Moseley said. “I think our energy came off that. We were knocking down shots.”

The Terrapins continued to pull away in the third quarter. A layup by Moseley and short jumper by Pfirman provided a 62-29 lead with 4:19 remaining. The Cornhuskers were never effective getting into their offense with Maryland’s constant pressure and made several errant passes.

“I think Maryland is very underrated in terms of execution,” Nebraska coach Connie Yori said. “They’re just very well-coached and they are deep. They do a very good job of taking advantage of any errors that you make. We are a very young team that makes a lot of errors.”

Every player for Maryland got in the game and a layup by Kiara Leslie gave the Terps an 82-40 lead with 6:59 left in the fourth quarter. Maryland outscored Nebraska 46-16 inside the paint and had 25 assists, the second most this season.

“We came out with a chip on our shoulder,” Howard said. “We just wanted to get back out on the court and play against competition to show what Maryland basketball really is. We wanted to get back to who we really are.”

TIP-INS

Nebraska: Guard Rachel Theriot ranks eighth nationally with 7.0 assists per game. She finished with just two against Maryland. … All five of Nebraska’s losses this season have come against ranked teams.

Maryland: The Terps entered the game ranked third nationally with 87.1 points per game. … Maryland improved to 5-0 against Nebraska, beating the Cornhuskers three times in the past two seasons.

NO ANSWER FOR JONES

Jones was a tough matchup for Nebraska because of her size (6-foot-3) and her ability to drive to the basket. She finished 11 points and nine rebounds. Jones, who leads the nation in field-goal percentage at 71 percent, went 5 of 9 from the field.

EASING BACK

Nebraska freshman forward Rachel Blackburn came off the bench for the second straight game. She returned to the lineup Sunday against Northwestern after missing the previous three games with an illness. Blackburn played 14 minutes against the Terps and had 2 points.

UP NEXT

Nebraska hosts Illinois on Sunday.

Maryland hits the road against Iowa on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s first performance as a Top 25 team wasn’t nearly as pretty as the ones that landed it in the rankings.

The Hawkeyes won anyway — and now they have over a week to prepare for a rematch with Michigan State, which they knocked out of the No. 1 ranking.

Jarrod Uthoff had 25 points, eight rebounds and four blocks as No. 19 Iowa held off Nebraska 77-66 on Tuesday night for its fifth straight win.

Mike Gesell had 22 points and 10 assists for his first career double-double with the surging Hawkeyes (12-3, 3-0 Big Ten). They have victories in nine consecutive league games dating to last season.

Gesell “needed to be great because (starting guard Anthony Clemmons) clearly wasn’t himself,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said of Clemmons, who was held scoreless while struggling through a hip pointer. “It took a lot for us to get this win and it was all experience.”

Iowa survived a sluggish start to the second half with a late 9-0 run, capped by a long 3 by Uthoff, to go ahead 63-48 with 7:15 left.

Tai Webster scored a season-high 22 points and Shavon Shields had 13 for Nebraska (8-8, 0-3). The Cornhuskers shot 59 percent in the second half but still lost their third straight.

“The competition is good. But I want to see us now, and I want to see us at the end of the year,” Nebraska coach Tim Miles said.

The Hawkeyes surged into the Top 25 on Monday after beating two ranked teams, including then-No. 1 Michigan State, in the same week for the first time since 1987.

The pressure defense Iowa used to rally from a 19-point deficit to win at Purdue on Saturday came in handy again versus Nebraska.

The Huskers could hardly miss in their first few possessions, storming ahead 10-0. The Hawkeyes responded by defending the full 94 feet, and within a few minutes they were in front 19-17.

“Once we got into it we stayed into it because we got them a little sideways,” McCaffery said of the press. “When we got the lead, we didn’t panic.”

The Hawkeyes didn’t have a ton of trouble the rest of the way, though the Huskers didn’t make it easy on them.

Iowa hit eight of 10 baskets during a 12-0 run late in the first half — while holding Nebraska to 4-of-24 shooting at one point — to go up 31-22.

Nebraska briefly got within eight points midway through the second half. But Uthoff’s 3 and a one-handed jumper from Gesell put Iowa ahead by 16 points with just over 4 minutes left.

TIP-INS

Nebraska: The Huskers went scoreless over the final 7:35 of the first half. … Jack McVeigh, who matched a career high with 16 points in his last game, scored five points on 2-of-9 shooting.

Iowa: Uthoff entered play ranked fourth nationally with 3.3 blocks per game. …The Hawkeyes went 24 of 32 from the free throw line. … Reserve Dom Uhl had 10 points and eight rebounds.

STAR POWER

Gesell has notched career highs in nearly every statistical category this season, and his versatility keyed the Hawkeyes on Tuesday. He had 22 points on 5-of-7 shooting and was 11 of 13 from the line. He had four rebounds.

COURTSIDE

Miles, as is his custom, tweeted at halftime that “When we get a open look we have to knock it down. We also have to get into the lane on offense and contain Uthoff on defense.” The Huskers did much better on offense after halftime, but Uthoff hit a bunch of key shots in the second half.

UP NEXT

Nebraska plays Rutgers on Saturday.

Iowa gets a rematch with No. 5 Michigan State on Jan. 14.

— Associated Press —

Evanston, Ill. – The Nebraska women’s basketball team could not overcome a poor first-half shooting performance, suffering an 85-62 loss at No. 14 Northwestern on Sunday afternoon.

The Huskers slipped to 9-4 on the season with all four losses to top-25 opponents, including three on the road. Nebraska slipped to 0-2 in the Big Ten. Northwestern improved to 12-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten.

Nebraska went just 10-for-37 (.270) from the floor in the first half, including 1-for-7 from three-point range in the opening half, as Northwestern raced to a 45-23 halftime lead. The Wildcats went 18-of-44 from the floor in the opening period, including a sizzling 6-for-13 from long range.

After getting the first two points of the game from Allie Havers, Nebraska watched Northwestern go on a 17-0 run, and the Big Red were never able to recover.

The Huskers rallied in the third quarter, outscoring Northwestern 22-16 and at one point cutting the Wildcat edge to 14, but the Big Red could get no closer in the loss.

Natalie Romeo scored 12 of her team-high 17 points in the second half, while Rachel Theriot added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Jessica Shepard notched her fifth double-double of the year with 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in a losing effort.

Nia Coffey led an impressive effort with 25 points, 17 rebounds, three assists, four blocks and three steals. Christen Inman added 25 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals while knocking down five three-pointers.

Maggie Lyon added 16 points on a trio of three-pointers, while Ashley Deary flirted with a triple-double, putting up 15 points, eight assists and eight steals to go along with six rebounds. Northwestern’s four returning starters combined for a whopping 81 of its 85 points.

Northwestern hit just 4-of-22 shots in the third quarter, while the Huskers shot better than 56 percent in the quarter to cut into the Wildcat lead heading into the fourth quarter. Northwestern responded with a 24-17 fourth quarter to seal the win,

For the game, the Wildcats hit just 35.6 percent (31-87) from the floor, but drained 12-of-27 threes (.444). The biggest numbers came in the turnover department for the Big Red, as the Wildcats won the turnover battle, 19-10, turning Nebraska’s 19 miscues into 27 points, while the Huskers got just four points after Northwestern’s mistakes. Those 23 points accounted for the final margin on the scoreboard.

Northwestern also outrebounded Nebraska, 57-46, scoring 15 points off 21 offensive rebounds, while the Huskers managed just two points off their 10 offensive boards.

Nebraska hit just 35.3 percent (24-68) of its shots from the floor, including 6-of-14 threes, knocking down 5-of-7 in the second half.  The Huskers hit 8-of-11 free throws, while Northwestern hit 11-of-14 shots at the stripe.

The Huskers continue Big Ten road action by battling their third consecutive top 25 team, when they face No. 6 Maryland on Thursday in College Park. Tip-off between Nebraska and the Terrapins is set for  6 p.m.

— NU Athletics —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Just a few days ago Dererk Pardon wasn’t even in Northwestern’s plans for this season. Wednesday, he was dominating Nebraska in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

The freshman had 28 points and 12 rebounds in his second college game and led his team back from a 12-point second-half deficit in an 81-72 victory.

The Wildcats (13-1) won their 10th straight game and are off to their best start since the 1930-31 season. The Cornhuskers (8-6) are 0-5 in Big Ten openers since joining the conference in 2011-12.

Pardon scored 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field in the second half, and he finished 11 for 14. Six of his seven offensive rebounds came after halftime.

Northwestern coach Chris Collins activated Pardon on Sunday because of a foot injury that will keep 7-foot senior Alex Olah out indefinitely.

“I’m happy coach Collins gave me the opportunity, my teammates believed in me and I just went out there and did what I was supposed to do — help my team win,” Pardon said.

Collins said he initially decided to redshirt Pardon because he didn’t think he would be able to give significant minutes to the 6-foot-8, 230-pounder from Cleveland. In addition to Olah, the Wildcats also have the 6-foot-10 Joey van Zegeren.

“Just an outstanding performance by a young player who we had really high hopes for coming in,” Collins said. “We thought we got a gem with him. He was an under-the-radar recruit that we felt had a chance to be really good, and his work ethic and his ability to be ready when called upon like he was when Alex went down was amazing.”

The Huskers had no answer for Pardon in the low post, and he scored nine points as the Wildcats were whittling a 51-39 deficit to three points. Scottie Lindsey’s 3-pointer from the corner tied it 60-all with seven minutes left.

“My coach told me to keep on attacking their guys and keep on attacking the glass,” Pardon said. “I saw that Nebraska got a little tired. I kept pushing and running and got open opportunities.”

Tre Demps finished with 17 points and Aaron Falzon had 12 for the Wildcats, who made 8 of 9 free throws in the last 1:34.

Andrew White made 5 of 8 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead the Huskers, and Benny Parker had career highs with 17 points and five 3s.

It was the second straight game Northwestern came back after being down double digits. The Wildcats erased a 14-point deficit to beat Loyola (Maryland) on Sunday. Pardon had six points and four rebounds in that game.

“The game was moving pretty fast for me, way different than high school,” he said. “I had to slow myself down. That’s what I felt I did this second game. I feel like Loyola was a big learning curve. I played hard. The mistakes I made that game I didn’t make this game.”

—

TIP-INS

Northwestern: The Wildcats held a 40-25 rebounding advantage. … Bryant McIntosh, coming off a 33-point game against Loyola, was held to 11 but had eight assists against one turnover.

Nebraska: Parker had seven assists and two steals to go with his 17 points and five 3s. … Lost for the first time in five all-time meetings with Northwestern in Lincoln.

NO SMILES FOR MILES

Northwestern’s 55-percent shooting and 46 points in the second half didn’t sit well with Nebraska coach Tim Miles, and neither did his team’s nearly five-minute field-goal drought late in the game.

“It was just a really disappointing game,” he said. “Down the stretch, I thought we got hesitant after Andrew went on his little burst and run. It seemed like after that no one wanted to shoot.”

WHO’S WALLY PIPP?

Collins joked that because of Pardon’s remarkable performance, Olah was going to have the same fate as Wally Pipp. Pipp is the New York Yankees player who sat out a game because of injury in 1925 and never got his starting job back. Lou Gehrig replaced him and started 2,130 consecutive games.

“He’s from Romania,” Collins said of Olah, “so he doesn’t know what a fastball or curveball is. I told Alex I have a project for you tonight. I want you go to home after practice, I want you get on your computer and I want you go google the name Wally Pipp.”

As Olah walked to the team bus Wednesday, a reporter asked him if he knew about Pipp. Olah smiled and said, “Oh, yeah.”

— Associated Press —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Shavon Shields and Andrew White III each had 19 points and five rebounds on Tuesday night and Nebraska blew past Prairie View A&M in the second half for an 81-50 win.

Nebraska (8-5) led by as many as 16 in the first half, but fell behind Prairie View A&M 32-31 on Zachary Hamilton’s basket with 18:40 remaining.

The Huskers responded with a 23-5 run, going up 45-34 on Tai Webster’s steal and layup with 14:40 left and taking a 54-37 lead on White’s 3 pointer with 11:40 remaining. The Panthers (0-11) got no closer than 15 the rest of the way. Nebraska’s biggest lead was 32.

Nebraska built a 26-8 lead capped by Shields’ six free throws as the Panthers hit just four of their first 18 shots. Prairie View A&M then hit six of their next seven shots for a 16-0 run that cut the lead to 26-24 on Zachary Hamilton’s layup with 2:54 remaining in the half. Nebraska made just one field goal in the final 8:18 of the half.

Tai Webster added 10 points for Nebraska.

Karim York led Prairie View A&M with 16 points. Hamilton finished with 13 for the Panthers.

—

TIP-INS

Prairie View A&M: Has played just one home game this season, a loss to Texas State on Dec. 16. The Panthers return home for a Jan. 2 tilt against Alcorn State.

Nebraska: Is now 21-1 all-time against schools from the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Tuesday’s game was the first meeting between the Huskers and Prairie View A&M.

UP NEXT

Prairie View A&M travels to Louisiana Tech on Monday.

Nebraska hosts Northwestern Dec. 30.

— Associated Press —