LINCOLN, Neb.—Ade Dagunduro made the most of his senior night, tying his career high with 24 points and leading Nebraska to 77-61 win over Iowa State.
“This is what it’s all about,” Dagunduro said. “That’s what you dream about playing collegiate basketball. It means a lot. It would have been devastating to go out with a loss.”
Dagunduro scored 13 of his points in the second half when Nebraska turned up its defense, forcing 10 Iowa State turnovers and blowing open a tight game.
“We finally listened to coach,” Dagunduro said. “Our energy picked up. We started scrambling like crazy. Back to back, we got turnovers. That was Nebraska basketball right there in the second half. The first half, I don’t know what that was.”
Neither Nebraska (17-11, 7-8 Big 12) nor Iowa State (14-16, 3-12) led by more than five until midway through the second half when the Huskers began forcing turnovers.
Sek Henry’s jumper made it 47-43 with 13:57 remaining. Nebraska then slapped on a press that led to back-to-back Cyclone miscues. Dagunduro’s tip-in and a Henry hoop followed, putting Nebraska up 51-43 with 12:51 left.
Another run of Iowa State turnovers contributed to a 14-2 Nebraska surge that put the game away. Nebraska took its biggest lead when Dagunduro rattled in a 3-pointer that made the score 68-49 with 5:40 remaining.
Nebraska didn’t hit another field goal until Dagunduro hit a running layup with 1:14 left. Iowa State cut the Husker lead to 12 with just over three minutes remaining, but got no closer.
“It was 45-43 and we turned it over seven out of 12 possessions,” said Iowa State coach Greg McDermott. “It’s unfortunate, but we kind of melted down against their pressure.”
That pressure came because the Huskers cranked up their intensity after halftime.
“The first half, we really didn’t do a good job,” Husker guard Cookie Miller said. “The second half we came out scrambling and everybody made plays. They were frustrated, we were making plays and everybody was finishing.”
Nebraska made 52 percent of its shots Wednesday, which allowed the Huskers to score more than 70 points for the second straight game.
“Through the whole season, I think our defense has been pretty good,” said Nebraska coach Doc Sadler. “If you can shoot anywhere from 46 to 48 percent range, you’re going to score points. I’m happy we scored 77 points, don’t get me wrong. But I’m just as happy we held them to 61.”
Nebraska ends Big 12 conference regular-season play Saturday at Baylor. A Husker win over the Bears would give Nebraska a .500 league record for the first time since 1998-99.
