Red-hot Nebraska thumps Mizzou, 78-62
LINCOLN, NEB. ? It just keeps getting worse for Missouri.
Brian Conklin had 17 points, hitting all five of his three-point shots, leading Nebraska to a 78-62 win Saturday over MU.
Nebraska (12-7, 2-6 Big 12 Conference) opened up a 17-point first-half lead, and Missouri got no closer than nine the rest of the game as the Cornhuskers took their largest win over the Tigers since the 1996-97 season.
Nebraska’s biggest lead came on Conklin’s three-pointer with 4:18 remaining, giving Nebraska a 70-50 lead. Missouri (9-10, 4-5) cut Nebraska’s 12-point halftime lead to nine on Rickey Paulding’s basket with 16:20 remaining that made the score 42-33.
A 10-2 flurry capped by a Conklin three-pointer put Nebraska up 52-35 with 13:55 remaining, and Missouri never seriously threatened again.
“We kept attacking throughout the whole game, and the harder we played, the better it got,” said Nebraska’s Nate Johnson, who had 13 points. “We played smart basketball. It turned out well.”
Missouri coach Quin Snyder was disappointed in his team’s effort.
“We got outplayed, obviously,” Snyder said. “I thought Nebraska played very well. Collectively, we just have to be tougher. It’s something you can talk about until you’re blue in the face. But when you get on the floor, you’ve got to be men, and we just didn’t play like men today.”
Paulding gave all the credit to Nebraska.
“Nebraska came out with more energy and more passion than we did today,” he said. “They definitely were on their A game. Hats off to them. They played their game.”
Paulding led Missouri with 16. Bryant added 15 for the Tigers, Jason Conley had 12, and Arthur Johnson added 10.
Colorado 82, Kansas State 81
Boulder, Colo. — Kansas State appeared poised to end its road woes until Colorado’s Jayson Obazuaye hit a driving layup with 3.6 seconds left.
Colorado was trailing 81-80 when Obazuaye took an inbounds pass and dribbled downcourt, putting up the clincher. He was fouled and missed the free throw, but Kansas State’s Tim Ellis missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.
“I have a knack of going to the basket and throwing up shots that go in,” Obazuaye said. “Coach gets upset when they don’t go in. But when they do, everyone is happy. I guess today everyone is happy.
“They were denying Blair (Wilson) on the right side. I saw the guy kind of sag off me. I just tried to take a chance and took it to the basket strong.”
It was the only basket of the game for Obazuaye, Colorado’s starting point guard.
“It’s the first game-winning shot of my career,” he said. “It was my only bucket of the game, but it was the game-winner.”
Wilson scored 26 points, including 7-of-10 from three-point range, for Colorado (13-7, 5-4 Big 12). David Harrison added 19 points and Michel Morandais 18 for the Buffaloes, who squandered an 11-point lead with 3:49 remaining.
Ellis scored 25 points, and Jeremiah Massey had 21 points and 12 rebounds for KSU (10-9, 2-6), which lost its 15th straight road game and 20th straight conference road game. The Wildcats haven’t won a road game in the conference since beating Colorado March 3, 2001.
“I thought we played really well,” Kansas State coach Jim Wooldridge said. “We could not get Wilson stopped, and we could not get Harrison stopped, either. But I thought we stood in there. It’s really frustrating. Your record looks different if you win this one, and so does your season.”
Baylor 72, Texas A&M 64
Waco, Texas — Harvey Thomas scored 20 points and blocked six shots, and Matt Sayman had 20 points and five assists for Baylor.
Baylor (7-14, 2-6 Big 12) led by as many as 15 before A&M pulled to within 60-56 on Jesse King’s three-pointer with 2:12 left.
But A&M (7-12, 0-8) then committed its 22nd and 23rd turnovers, and Baylor hit 12 of 16 free throws in the final two minutes.
Baylor, which has just six players on scholarship, also got 14 points from Carl Marshall. R.T. Guinn’s five points were the Bears’ only points off the bench. He was 0-for-3 from the field but 5-of-6 from the foul line.
Kevin Turner led the Aggies with 14 points, and Nick Anderson added 11. Baylor held A&M’s leading scorer, Antoine Wright who had been averaging 14 points per game, to only five points.