For 20 minutes, Nebraska did almost everything right.
The Cornhuskers double-teamed post players, trapped guards and picked up loose ball after loose ball. They even made a few shots.
Then halftime started, and everyone jogged to the locker room. A different team walked back onto the court.
Iowa State turned a 13-point halftime deficit into a 60-52 win inside the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday afternoon, handing the Huskers (14-9, 3-7 Big 12 Conference) their second straight loss.
"The first five minutes of the second half was what turned the basketball game around," NU Coach Doc Sadler said during a postgame radio interview. "As well as we played the first 20 minutes defensively, we played that bad the first five minutes in the second half."
The Cyclones celebrated their 100th season of basketball on Saturday, inviting a slew of former stars and athletes back to watch their old squad take on Nebraska.
Their alma mater changed the record books. ISU was held to just 11 points in the first half - the lowest total for one period in program history.
Not a single starter scored before the break. And during one stretch, the Cyclones went 10 minutes, 27 seconds in between field goals.
The Huskers had forced 15 turnovers. NU freshman guard Cookie Miller had stripped the ball five times, tying his career-high for a game, let alone a single half. And Nebraska's perimeter defense had left the Cyclones 1-for-11 from behind the 3-point arc.
When the first 20 minutes finally vanished, NU had a 24-11 advantage.
"I thought our guys gave a tremendous effort," Sadler said. "The first half we probably defended and carried out our defensive assignments about as well as you can do it."
Unfortunately for the Huskers, there was another half to play.
It's not that they changed much in the second period. They still double-teamed the Cyclones and threw in a trap here and there.
ISU just answered the call - and pushed Nebraska back on its heels.
Moments after the break, Iowa State forward Jiri Hubalek caught the ball in the post. Nebraska's defense collapsed once again, sucking out any room for a shot.
Hubalek, though, didn't pass to his cold-handed guards this time. And he didn't lose the ball. He powered over NU senior center Aleks Maric for a left-handed hook shot, and he buried it.
On the next two possessions, ISU guard Bryan Petersen drilled lengthy 3-pointers. The 8-0 run had sliced NU's lead to 24-19 with 17:24 to play.
"We just don't have a lot of room for error," Sadler said. "And we made some mental mistakes to start the second half."
The Cyclones were off and running after that. Their hot start was part of a 25-6 run to open the final period, giving them a 36-30 lead with 9:33 to play.
Yet the Huskers kept pace, trading baskets with their opponent to keep within striking distance. After the Huskers pulled to within 48-44 with just more than three minutes left, ISU guard Sean Haluska broke loose for an open trey. He drained it, giving ISU a 51-44 lead with 2:12 remaining and helping erase any hope of a victory for the Huskers.
After scoring 11 points in the first half, the Cyclones poured in 49 in the second. They were the team that could do little wrong.
"I think they're all more athletic than some of our guys," Sadler said, "and maybe a little bit bigger and stronger … but that's no excuse. We made too many mistakes in the second half defensively."
MICHAELMCHALE@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
