 "Photo: Greg Blobaum")
 "Photo: Greg Blobaum")
On a night when the Cornhuskers were not on top of their game, Doc Sadler didn't have the look of a coach who was overly disappointed.
Nebraska was plagued by 14 turnovers Monday night, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff returned the favor by committing 24 of its own, sparking the Huskers to a 71-42 win in front of a crowd of 6,032 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Even with the turnovers and a season-low 44 percent shooting night from the field, Nebraska (4-0) was able to overpower the Golden Lions behind 19 points from junior center Aleks Maric and 13 from sophomore guard Jamel White.
If there was any doubt, Sadler said he much preferred the blowout win to the close games his squad has already played this season.
"I hate close games," Sadler said, smiling. "You want to (coach basketball) for a living? Would you like to be a writer without a deadline? Let this game get over about 10:15, and you have to get it done by 10:30. It ain't no fun."
White started the Husker scoring with a short jumper and a 3-pointer, but the Golden Lions closed the game to 5-4 early on.
That was as close as the game ever got.
From there, Maric made a layup, the first basket of a 14-0 run that also included a pair of treys from senior guard Marcus Perry and another from senior guard Charles Richardson Jr.
The Huskers coasted after that, stretching their first-half lead to as many as 22 points when freshman guard Jay-R Strowbridge nailed his only 3-pointer of the game to make it 39-17.
Nebraska led 40-20 at the half and never looked back, with 13 players seeing action as Sadler emptied his bench.
The starters began the second half, but the game was never in doubt as the Huskers rolled, making most of the second half into a garbage-time exhibition.
Despite the turnovers, the game had its pluses for Nebraska, who shot 75 percent from the free-throw line. UAPB also exposed the Huskers to a zone defense, a rarity for Sadler and Co. four games into the season.
The Golden Lions' 24 turnovers were the most by any Nebraska opponent since Texas Tech committed 26 miscues in 1999.
Sadler said his team's turnovers were mostly a result of carelessness, which the Huskers have shown in practice of late.
"We're not good enough to make great plays," Sadler said. "We need to make simple plays, and right now, we're not making simple plays. We want style points."
One Husker who did make plays was Perry, who saw action during NU's exhibition season three weeks ago but hadn't played during the regular season because of a knee problem. The senior made three of his six 3-point attempts, scoring 11 total points and adding four rebounds.
"I'm feeling good," Perry said. "I didn't feel any pain whatsoever in my knee. I prayed about it, and God gave me strength to endure to the end."
For Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the loss dropped its record to 0-4, with every defeat coming on the road. UAPB junior forward William Byrd led the Golden Lions with 10 points, but he was the only player to score in double figures for the visitors.
Sadler said he was happy for the large margin of victory, giving him a chance to rest Richardson for games looming on Wednesday and Saturday.
The coach said his top priority is to get his club to protect the basketball before playing North Texas on Wednesday night.
"I'm still very disappointed in the turnovers," Sadler said. "We can't win big ballgames turning the ball over more than 10 times a game."
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