A View From The Woodshed

The Nebraska Cornhuskers took control of this game early and never looked back. The Huskers outhustled and outmuscled MU, jumping out to a 35-20 lead midway through the first half on the strength of sensational shooting and an 11-4 advantage on the boards early.

Nebraska piled on with 27 total rebounds and 15 offensive rebounds -- in the first half. MU responded in the first half with 11 turnovers and just 13 total rebounds. Ugh. This game was over at the half when the Huskers led 48-29. Or was it.......

...........After Nebraska went up by 22 early in the second half, MU staged a furious rally to cut the deficit to just six with 6:08 to play after two Jerel McNeal free throws -- but it was not meant to be as Nebraska responded with a mini-run to stretch lead back to 13 points before winning the game 84-74.

This was a break-out game for Wesley Matthews, who scored 18 points, snared seven boards and dished out four assists. Matthews, along with strong board work from Amoroso and offense from Dominic James, keyed the run in the second half as MU showed plenty of gumption down the stretch.

Dominic James led MU with 22 points, including a three-pointer that cut the lead to 10 with just 1:15 to play. Steve Novak endured a night for MU, mustering just 13 points while struggling from the field. As a team, MU was just 8-33 from behind the arc.

In the end, MU's poor effort in the first half sealed their fate. Despite the disappointing loss, a 4-2 record at this early juncture in the campaign is encouraging. The team returns to Milwaukee tomorrow and will take on South Dakota State on Saturday.

Here's the early recap from the AP.

Rosiak from the MJS.

Here's the GoMarquette.com recap.

The Marquette Tribune offers this recap.