Thursday, February 20, 2014

Nebraska basketbal: Nebraska continues to roll with win against Penn State

Nebraska 80 Penn State 67

Player of the Game:
Tai Webster- Yes, Terran Petteway had another monster game offensively. But Webster was just solid all around. He finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists with only one turnover. He also played fantastic defense with a steal and a block. He distributed the ball, attacked the rim and played the way Nebraska needs him to. Nothing flashy, just help distribute and run the offense. That’s all he needs to do. Petteway and Shavon Shields can do the rest. Webster just needs to be solid.

Key Stat:
Free Throw Shooting- In a game that had 51 fouls, Nebraska needed to shoot well from the free throw line. And boy did it ever. The Huskers attempted 48 free throws. Yes 48! They made 37 of them, helping pull away early in this one. Penn State shot well from the free throw line as well, but didn’t attempt nearly as many as the Huskers. Nebraska attacked the basket all night.   

Play of the Game:
Penn State coach Pat Chambers got a technical foul with 15 minutes left in the second half that really sealed the deal for the Huskers. Any hope of a Nittany Lion comeback was thwarted at that point. Nebraska scored four points on that possession to extend the lead to over 20 points for the first time. Penn State’s body language really looked bad from that point on, other than the final minutes of the game.

Quotes Worth Mentioning:
-Pat Chambers, Penn State coach
On fouls...
"I have great respect for the officials, but 48 free throws. Wow." 

-Terran Petteway, Nebraska sophomore guard
On this win and NCAA tournament...
"This is a great win. We couldn't come out here and lay an egg after the Michigan State game." 

-Tai Webster, Nebraska freshman guard
On playing well offensively...
"I got back to playing not thinking about it. I just played free." 

-Tim Miles, Nebraska coach
On building 27-point lead...
"In the Big Ten, you don't do that for very many team." 

On defense...
"We've improved. Played bigger. We've improved our defense and played all right offense."

On doing anything different with defense...
"We threaten them. But I can't tell you what we do." 

Other notes:
-This win gives Nebraska its first four-game conference win streak since 1999.
-Tai Webster scored in double digits for this first time in Big Ten play.
-Nebraska had five guys in double figures for the first time all season. 
-The Huskers are now above .500 (7-6) in Big Ten play for the first time. 
-Five technical fouls were issued in this game: four on Penn State, one on Nebraska. 
-Walter Pitchford went down with a left leg injury with about eight minutes to go in the second half. "No structural damage," Miles said, "but I don't know when he'll be available." He was smiling after the game and wasn't writhing in pain. 

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