Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Nebraska
No. 25 Texas Tech Falls To Nebraska
February 24, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb 24, 2004
By ERIC OLSON
Associated Press Writer
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - For the second time in 10 days, Nebraska proved to be an inhospitable host to a nationally ranked team.
Nate Johnson had 17 points and nine rebounds Tuesday night and Nebraska beat No. 25 Texas Tech 72-44 for its most lopsided win ever over a ranked opponent.
"Our confidence is high, and we fed off that," Johnson said. "We held our heads up and kept it positive. That's what we did all 40 minutes tonight."
The Cornhuskers (15-9, 5-8 Big 12) have won four of their last six games. Included in that stretch is a 74-55 win over then-No. 12 Kansas on Feb. 15. On Saturday the Huskers took then-No. 7 Oklahoma State to overtime before losing.
The victory marked Nebraska's biggest win over a ranked opponent since an 80-59 victory against Kansas State in 1993.
The Raiders (19-8, 7-6) shot just 18.5 percent in the second half while losing their fifth straight road game and for the sixth time in nine games overall.
Nebraska outrebounded the Raiders 25-11 in the first half and 51-24 for the game.
The Huskers, who held Tech to a season-low 30.8-percent shooting from the field, handed the Red Raiders their worst loss since a 90-50 defeated by Kansas in the 2002 conference tournament.
The 44 points equaled the fewest scored by the Raiders in a game since 1990. Tech also had 44 in a loss to Kansas State last season.
"We were just thoroughly beaten," Tech coach Bob Knight said. "That's a simple explanation of the game. There wasn't any phase we weren't beaten in, including just simply how hard or hard intelligently we played."
Knight, who walked out of the interview room after answering two questions, did not allow his players to speak with the media.
The Huskers avenged a 26-point loss in Lubbock last year.
"Obviously they played a lot better today than they played against us last year," Knight said.
Jarrius Jackson led the Raiders with 10 points.
Andre Emmett, the Big 12's season and career scoring leader, was shut down most of the game but did set the Tech career points record. He finished with a season-low nine points, 12 under his average.
Emmett scored off a spin move midway through the second half to pass Rick Bullock's school record of 2,118 points from 1973-76.
Emmett was back in the starting lineup after opening last Saturday's game at Texas A&M on the bench for the first time in his 94 career games.
Emmett had difficulty getting good looks at the basket as the Huskers alternated Jake Muhleisen, Corey Simms and Johnson on him. He missed his first three shots and didn't score until his fast-break layup 10:17 into the game.
Johnson clearly upstaged Emmett, going 7-for-9 from the field and making all three of his free throws.
Three of his baskets came on snaking moves through the lane.
"He made like seven of the top 10 plays of the week," Brian Conklin said. "He's been like that ever since he came here for pickup games."
Johnson said he didn't do anything special.
"That's just the way I play," he said. "I work on those moves every day in practice, so why not do it in the game?"
Johnson, who came to Nebraska as a junior-college transfer last season, is playing his more natural shooting-guard position after having to play the point last season. He's leading the Huskers with 13.1 points a game.
Nebraska broke the game open in the first three minutes of the second half. Johnson made a nice move for a layup, Andrew Drevo scored on a fast break and the 6-foot-11 Conklin pulled up and hit a 26-footer for a 44-30 lead.
After Devonne Giles scored to get the Raiders within 44-34, the Huskers rolled off nine straight points to extend the advantage to 54-34.
Tech, the top free-throw shooting team in the conference, was only 11-of-20 from the line.
Drevo finished with 13 points and Conklin 11.
Jackson scored seven straight points to give Tech its last lead at 12-11 nine minutes into the game.
Nebraska went ahead on Jason Dourisseau's tip-in and 3-pointer, which started a 17-6 run that Drevo ended with a putback and a 3.
Back-to-back baskets by Johnson put the Huskers up 32-20, but the Raiders scored six of the last eight points of the half to pull to 34-26.
