Shurna's 28 Help Northwestern Beat Nebraska 84-74
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — John Shurna scored 28 points and Drew Crawford added 21 to lead Northwestern to an 84-74 win over Nebraska on Thursday night.
Northwestern (13-8, 3-6 Big Ten) dominated the game behind the arc, making 14 3-pointers to end a three-game losing streak.
After Brandon Richardson's steal and layup cut Northwestern's lead to 54-53 with 10:36 left, Northwestern responded with nine unanswered points on three straight 3-pointers by Crawford, Shurna and Reggie Hearn.
It appeared Northwestern had control of the game with under three minutes to play and a 75-66 lead, but Dylan Talley hit a 3-pointer and Spencer made another to get the Cornhuskers within 75-72 with 1:34 left. Shurna answered with a driving layup and Dave Sobolewski made three free throws in the final minute to secure the win.
Bo Spencer led Nebraska (11-10, 3-7) with 24 points and Toney McCray finished with 16.
The Cornhuskers cut into the Wildcats' 15-point halftime lead. Early in the second half, McCray had a 3-pointer and Spencer got Nebraska within 42-38 after two free throws and another 3.
Nebraska, making its first appearance in Evanston as a member of the Big Ten, was hit with a barrage of 3-pointers from coach Bill Carmody's small lineup. Carmody didn't go to his bench much, playing only a six-man lineup for most of the game.
Leading 33-25, Northwestern closed the first half on an 8-1 run. Crawford hit a 3-pointer, Hearn made a pair of free throws and Sobolewski made all three foul shots after being fouled on a 3-point attempt with two-tenths of a second left in the half. That made it 41-26 at halftime.
Shurna led the Wildcats with 13 points in the first half, including three 3-pointers. As a team, the Wildcats connected on 10 of 21 3-point attempts against the Nebraska man-to-man defense.
Sobolewski finished with 15 points for the Wildcats.
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