Daily Nebraskan

Issue date: 2/11/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: ANDREW LAMBERSON Nebraska's Aleks Maric dominated Texas Tech, racking up 22 points and 14 rebounds. [Click to enlarge]

Bobby Knight's replacement will have to wait a little longer.

Nebraska refused to give way to Pat Knight this weekend, keeping Texas Tech's new coach winless since taking over last week for his father, who quit after 42 years in the profession.

On Saturday, Tech's new man ran into a revised version of the Cornhuskers, one that went on blistering scoring runs and shot 49 percent from the field. When the barrage was finished at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, NU waltzed away with a 73-62 win.

"I think this is the team that a lot of us thought that we might see at some point this year," said NU Coach Doc Sadler. "We were playing this way early (in the season)."

Before Saturday, the Huskers (14-7, 3-5 Big 12 Conference) had not shot more than 43 percent in a league game this year. Deflecting basketballs became commonplace. Stoic nets were to be expected.

That changed against the Red Raiders. After the visitors ran to an early 19-11 lead, the Huskers took over, going 7-of-17 from the 3-point line and sinking 16 free throws in 19 tries overall.

NU senior center Aleks Maric scored a game-high 22 points and sophomore guard Ryan Anderson tacked on 19.

Yet the Huskers' defense stole the spotlight. Tech was held to just 39 percent shooting, including a 4-of-18 showing from behind the arc.

"I think defense produced the offense, to be honest," Maric said. "I thought our defense was as good as it's been all year. We were able to defend the motion offense pretty well, which is hard to do, and that generates (our) offense."

When NU heated up in the second half, Tech even tried a zone defense, forcing the Huskers to shoot from the outside and stay away from Maric. It worked.

For Nebraska, that is.

"When the other Coach Knight would be down 25 with 4 minutes to go," Sadler said, "he wasn't going to trap, he wasn't going to press. He was just going to continue to play his style. That was a little bit different."

Continued...

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